PokéLoud Journeys
by Weavillain
Summary: Lincoln Loud wants to become the Kalos League Champion more than anything in the world. As he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, he must weather the tribulations that any rising Pokémon Trainer must endure on his path to glory. Luckily, he has the help of his friends and support of his family to bolster him for the tough times ahead. Will Lincoln achieve his dream?
1. A Loud to Venture

**A/N:** So, uh, yeah. This is happening. Why? I don't know. Some of life's best concoctions have come from blending two things together and getting a sum that's better than its parts. Take PB &J for example. Or better yet, maybe I'm just being too philosophical about an idea that got started after I've seen a bunch of TLH fanart with several characters owning Pokémon of their own.

That and the plot bunnies in my head wouldn't stop keeping me awake at night until I got off my butt and started working on this. Now, they can take up vacancy in someone _else's_ head for a change.

Now then, seeing as how this is my first ever crossover story, and seeing as how Pokémon is one of the most popular and expansive franchises of all time, I thought it'd be best if I posted this little Q&A about what you can expect from this story.

 **Q:** Where's the setting?

 **A:** As the summary of the story stated, this story will take place in the Kalos region. To add to this answer, expect to see towns and landmarks from both the X/Y games and the X/Y anime series.

 **Q:** Will the Pokémon appear in accordance to where they are in the X/Y games?

 **A:** Nope. They'll appear where I see fit.

 **Q:** Which Loud House characters will appear in this story?

 **A:** I have plans to include all eleven Loud siblings into this story in some way, shape, or form. Their spots are guaranteed. _How_ they'll be integrated in the story will be, of course, up to me. All I'll say is don't expect them all to have the same relationship with each other as they do in the show. Also, expect some characters of the show, who have made so much as only one appearance, to have a role here, significant or otherwise.

 **Q:** How old will the Loud House characters be?

 **A:** All of them will be the same age as they're depicted in the show. For characters with ages that aren't disclosed, I'll present them as an age that's appropriate for their appearance and their place in this story. Hopefully.

 **Q:** Which Pokémon generations will appear?

 **A:** Generations 1 through 6 only. Since I don't plan for the Alola region to show up, don't expect any of their Pokémon to show up, either.

 **Q:** Will the story feature "game mechanics", "manga mechanics", or "anime mechanics"?

 **A:** I plan to integrate all three in the story as I see fit.

For instance, an "anime mechanic", that you won't see in the games, is how liberally battles are portrayed. If you play the game competitively, or even casually, you usually live and die by type advantage. Nature and moves help but type advantage is where it's at. A Steel-type Pokémon hasn't got a prayer against a Fire-type, for example. But in the anime, type advantage isn't as instrumental to victory, allowing for more freedom in the way battles are won and lost. This also allows for more surprises, too, and that's something that I'll be sure to incorporate.

 **Q:** In what year does the story take place?

 **A:** About 23 years after the X/Y games' worldwide release. That would make it around the year 2036.

 **Q:** Will any of the events from the games or anime series be referenced?

 **A:** The story takes place years after the events of X/Y, so those games will obviously be referenced. That's about it as far as references in that department will go for now.

Alright, I think that about covers just about everything that's mandatory or anything that I'm allowing you to know for now. If you have any other general questions about the direction of this story, don't hesitate to ask and I'll see if I can answer them for you. I'd prefer it if you PM'd me but hey, you do you.

Now then, with that being said, I won't be answering guest questions that are posted in the review section. Why? Well, I realize that guests can't PM, so it may seem like I'm giving them the cold shoulder, but the thing is, if they ask a question that someone doesn't want to know the answer to, I'd be risking giving away something they don't want to know since I'd have to answer that question out in the open for the guest and, by proxy, everyone else to see.

Now, with all that hullabaloo out of the way, let's get started with " _Chapter 1: A Loud to Venture"_.

* * *

 _Kalos. Much like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, it's a region notorious for reflecting the fascination that humans have for Pokémon through its various traditions and events._

 _Some of them, such as Pokémon contests, display Pokémon's ability to dazzle audiences, who come from far and wide to witness the beauty, intelligence, and coolness that Pokémon Coordinators work tirelessly to embed in their Pokémon._

 _Others, such as Pokémon battling, disclose the close bond that Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon have as they continually forge through battle after battle, being tested in trust and mettle throughout the trek to self-defined glory and recognition._

 _Through it all, this literal star-shaped region embraces the world of Pokémon and in return, Kalos' inhabitants do the same, whether their cause is for the betterment of humans and Pokémon alike or the satisfying achievement of a longtime dream._

 _And although Kalos is known for its beauty, refinement, and sophistication, this story begins in a small town that barely reflects those qualities; the humble dwelling known as Vaniville Town. In this gated community lives a young boy, a hopeful youth that aspires to answer to the calling that roars to life within his being at the thought of recognizing his aspirations; becoming the very best Pokémon Trainer that Kalos has ever seen!_

 _Now, if only he wasn't too busy sawing logs on this particular Thursday morning…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: A Loud to Venture**

* * *

 _Vaniville Town. May 29_ _th_ _, 2036. 8:37 AM. _

Vaniville Town; a modest, little suburb that housed little over forty residents altogether. Although the Sun had shown its face to the Earth a little less than a half an hour ago, one family, as usual, was already making a ruckus within the walls of their residence.

In the two-story townhouse, closest to Vaniville Town's entry and exit gate, lived the Loud family. As the surname suggested, they were anything but noiseless.

Rita, the blonde matriarch, clad in a pink shirt and dark purple pants, had both of her hands occupied. One of them was holding tightly to her blonde-haired infant daughter, Lily, as she cried and wailed in her mother's arms. The other was tightly clutching to the handle of the pancake griddle that was harboring a fluffy, palpable, circular mass of pancake batter. Once ready, it would soon join the other pancakes, that were neatly stacked on a white plate next to the stove, along with several slices of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and Moomoo Milk that was contained in a tall, bulbous pitcher.

"Lynn!" Rita called from the kitchen, exasperation evident in her voice at the multi-tasking she was burdened with. Preparing breakfast for herself, four children, and a husband was easy enough but dealing with Lily in her crying fits on top of that tested Rita's patience. Ordinarily, Lynn would be watching Lily while she attended to the food but for reasons unknown to her, her husband was nowhere to be found.

"C-coming, Rita!" called a masculine-sounding voice from upstairs. "Charles got in my fishing lure box again and he's got one of 'em in his mouth! I can't get him to drop it!"

His yelling was soon followed by the sounds of footsteps romping roughly against the floor and…pottery smashing? Rita hoped it wasn't the cute floral patterned vase that her sister-in-law, Shirley, got for her birthday last year. Knowing her luck this morning, it probably was.

"D-down, boy! Down! You put that… _aaaaack!_ Bad Snubbull! Bad!" yelled Lynn, clearly having his hands too tied to be of any assistance to his wife.

Rita sighed. She supposed this is what was to be expected from being the wife of a fisherman. Still, would it hurt him to stow the lure box away where he knew the Snubbull wouldn't be able to get it? It wasn't like she never told him to do so before and _several_ times at that.

Knowing that Lynn would be too busy to come to her aid, she turned to the kitchen table behind her, where two identical looking, blonde-haired girls sat next to each other behind said table. The dirtiest looking of the pair, Lana, who wore her hair in pigtails underneath her backward worn red cap, spoke up when she caught her mother's eyes, then gulped at the slight frown on her face.

"N-need something, Mom?" Lana nervously asked with a shy grin on her face, showing off one of her missing front teeth in the process.

"Yes," Rita answered rather sternly. "You can start by going back upstairs and getting yourself a cleaner pair of overalls, one without mucus and mud stains all over it. Just because school ended a week ago doesn't mean you're allowed to eat at the table looking like you just came out of a Spoink sty. Once you're done with that, come back down and watch over Lily until your father joins us"

Sighing in defeat, the red cap wearing child hopped out of her seat, ignoring her twin sister's silent taunting as she did so, and walked away, leaving her much cleaner looking sister, Lola, who wore her long hair down underneath her silver tiara, by herself as she gloated at the displeasure cast upon her twin sister.

"I _tried_ to tell her to behave herself," Lola said disingenuously as she smoothed out her pink dress with her pink gloved hands, "but she just doesn't learn. 'Tis a shame, isn't it, mother? Oh well, I suppose that means I get to have the pleasure of her share of the pancakes, right?"

"Wrong," Rita replied, wise to her dainty daughter's sycophancy. "You get the pleasure of going upstairs, waking up your brother and letting him know that the food's almost done."

Lola blanched. She loved her mother's pancakes more than life itself! If she had to march all the way upstairs, wake up her dopey older brother, and then come all the way back, Lana was certain to be back at the dining table by then and by that point, she'd have already ravenously eaten most of the pancakes without mercy, leaving her with but a few scraps at most.

Putting on her best pouty lip and watery eyes, a routine she could work on her father with at least 80% accuracy, Lola tried her best to worm her way out of her mother's request.

"B-but, Mo-"

"Now, Lola."

Dropping the act in a hurry, Lola bolted out of her chair, intent on running towards her targ-

"And no running!" Rita barked when she saw Lola sprinting off like a Liepard. "You'll trip on your dress and hurt yourself!"

Grumbling under her breath, Lola walked toward her objective at a much slower pace. Once she was halfway up the stairs, she looked on in despair as she saw Lana walking past her, all while having a gloating grin on her face. Lola hurried a bit faster, knowing that her bottomless pit of a sister was sure to clean out all the food before she could even have a bite to herself.

Once she made it to the top, she turned to her right and made her way down the hallway until she made it to the very end. In front of her was a door that read " **LINCOLN** " engraved in the blue wood. In a flash, Lola had that door opened and scowled at what she saw; her older white-haired brother dozing off while was clad in nothing but his white underwear. As usual, he was clutching tightly to his Buneary doll, Bun-Bun.

Lola zipped past all his comic books and dirty clothes, that littered his floor, until she was standing on his bed, glaring daggers at Lincoln's peaceful, sleeping face.

Lola sucked in as much breath into her lungs as possible and leaned into Lincoln's ear until her lips were but a few centimeter's away.

" _ **WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"**_ Lola bellowed with all her might.

To her satisfaction, Lincoln awoke immediately, flailing his limbs about wildly and squealing at the sudden intrusion to his slumber. The dazed, frightened boy shook his head to clear away the tug of drowsiness that beckoned to him and nearly got scared out of his wits again when he saw the face of Lola glaring at him from up close.

"Lola!" Lincoln reprimanded, anger slowly bubbling to the surface. "What's gotten into you?!"

Lola simply shrugged at her brother's indignation.

"Well, maybe if a certain someone didn't sleep like a Snorlax, I wouldn't have to resort to yelling in your ear."

"Yeah? Well, at least I don't _look_ like a Snorlax," Lincoln smugly retorted.

He immediately regretted his comeback when he saw his sister's twisted, insidious frown, along with her clenched fists, gnashing teeth, and furrowed eyebrows. Not even two minutes after waking up and he already made the mistake of inciting Lola's bad temper.

"What was that?" Lola asked venomously, daring him to abide by his words.

"N-nothing!" Lincoln stuttered as he reached for his pillow and shielded himself between him and Lola. "You look as cute as always, dear sister of mine, and certainly not like a fat, giant, slumbering ball of mass!"

He quivered and quaked behind his "fortress" until he heard Lola remark with, "Hmph! That's what I thought."

With that, she hopped off Lincoln's bed and waited for him to peek from behind his pillow before she relayed her mother's message to him.

"Now then, Mom sent me to wake you up. Breakfast is ready and thanks to you being a pain in the butt, Lana's probably eaten all the pancakes before I could get to any of them."

Despite escaping his little sister's wrath, Lincoln couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"Pssh. Whatever. It's not like _you_ need the extra calories anyways. I didn't think the 'next greatest Pokémon Contest Coordinator to grace the galaxies' would wanna fatten herself up with pancakes soaked in Roseli Berry syrup."

"Don't be stupid," Lola scoffed. "I'm allowed to have cheat days every now and then. If anything, Cliff's the one that needs to drop a few pounds."

Lincoln groaned in disbelief. How many times did he have to tell her that Cliff, the family Purugly, was _supposed_ to look rotund? It didn't help that poor Cliff would get yelled by Lola for wanting to laze around instead of following her routines that she wanted to try out in Pokémon Contests once she was old enough to become a Pokémon Coordinator.

"Oh, and Lincoln?" Lola warned with narrowed eyes as she leaned against the doorway of his room. "If I don't get at least four pancakes, that dumb Buneary doll's gonna be in a dress and wig before you know it."

Lincoln immediately clutched his Bun-Bun for dear life, stroking its head and whispering reassurances in its ear. Lola rolled her eyes and left him. Seconds later, Lincoln snapped out of his reverie when he heard Lola accidentally bump into her father, who had finally gotten his lure away from Charles.

Sighing with melancholy, Lincoln placed Bun-Bun back on his bed and went over to his closet to grab some clothes to wear for the day. As he fished through his array of orange polo shirts and blue pants, Lincoln thought back to what had been making him unhappy lately.

A full week ago, he had graduated from the Aquacorde Town Pokémon Academy(or ATPA), a learning facility that taught children about the Pokémon world, as well as general education like arithmetic and reading. Once he was done with his studies, his parents allowed him to apply for a Pokémon Handler's License, an official permit that authorized the owner to legally own Pokémon. Though the only requirement was that the applicants be at least 10 years of age, one year younger than Lincoln was, he had to wait until he graduated from ATPA because his parents wanted him to have a solid educational foundation before he could own Pokémon of his own.

It was a day that Lincoln had waited for for as long as he could remember. Now that he was a licensed Pokémon owner, that meant that he could become a Pokémon trainer and explore the vast region of Kalos, all while embracing the thrill of battle and competition with Pokémon of his own! He yearned to follow in the footsteps of notable legends like Red from Pallet Town. Seeing official Pokémon battles on TV as much as he could, along with reading about the exploits of Ace Savvy, his favorite comic book superhero that solved crimes alongside his Arcanine, only supplemented his desires to take on the Kalos region by storm and dethrone the current Kalos League Champion, Hugh, the suave, charming Pokémon trainer that had legions of fans, mostly women, following his every move and adoring his abilities.

His respect, his mastery of battle, his recognition, and most importantly, the experience that came from getting to such an expert Pokémon Trainer level; Lincoln wanted it all and he _knew_ that he could do it…except for one not-so tiny problem.

His father had expressed his displeasure for the rite of passage that came with children undertaking Pokémon training: exploring the world of Pokémon at such a young, tender age, with nothing more than a few provisions. It was something that he learned about when he started buying Lincoln his Ace Savvy comic books, since that's how Ace began his career. Ever since, the closest he allowed Lincoln to experiencing anything resembling Pokémon training and battling was with his comic books or television matches.

Although Lincoln knew he could wait until he was older to ask his father for permission to train, he just had to be allowed to train Pokémon for battle soon! His best friend and next door neighbor, Clyde, was on his way to do a Kalos journey of his own; exploring the region while honing his skills to be a Pokémon Ranger, a Pokémon handler that was dedicated to protecting nature and most importantly, the Pokémon residing within their natural habitats. He would be leaving home on the 10th of June and Lincoln desperately wanted to live out his dream alongside his best buddy in the world…

But alas, Lincoln knew that it was a pipe dream at best, a fantasy that he could only long for in his head. He would be happy for Clyde, of course, but at the same time, he was envious that his friend could strive towards his goals while he'd be cooped up at home, watching helplessly as time flew by him.

Resigning himself to his fate, Lincoln grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and placed them on his bed. Once he was done with that, he headed to the bathroom to wash up so he could join his family for breakfast. He might not be able to have Pokémon the way he wanted, but at least he could have pancakes the way he wanted…as long as Lola hadn't used up all the Roseli Berry syrup before he got there.

* * *

Around thirty minutes later, Lincoln was finally heading downstairs. On his way out the bathroom, he noticed that the doors to Lana and Lola's rooms were slightly open and that they could be heard amusing themselves behind nearly closed doors. That meant that they had already eaten and Lincoln could eat his meal in peace, a radical change of pace from the usually noisy and messy breakfast rituals of dodging thrown food projectiles from Lily and doing his best to cancel out Lola and Lana's constant bickering.

Sure enough, once Lincoln had descended the stairs and had the dining table in his sights, the only person present was a brown-haired man dressed in brown pants and a green sweater.

"There's my graduate of a son!" Lynn called out from his seat at the head of the table. "Glad you're finally up!"

Lincoln returned a smile as best he could, hoping his father wouldn't see through him and pick up that something was bothering him. The boy found his seat next to Lynn and was grateful that a short stack of pancakes awaited him, along with three slices of bacon and some scrambled eggs.

"This looks great, Dad. Thanks for saving this for me."

"Of course, but then again, it was quite the challenge," Lynn remarked somewhat enigmatically. "I've been out to sea and reeled in plenty of Sharpedo, but not one of them had the appetite that Lana's got. She nearly bit my hand off when I went to go for seconds on the bacon."

Lincoln chuckled, knowing full well that his father wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. As he surveyed the table, he was a little disappointed to see that there was no Persim Berry syrup in sight and that the Moomoo Milk was nearly out. He supposed he couldn't complain or be angry, seeing as his mother was a pretty good cook. Speaking of which…

"Hey, Dad?" Lincoln asked as he went to pour himself a glass of Moomoo milk. "Where's Mom? Is she upstairs? I didn't see her when I came down here."

"She went to Aquacorde Town with Lily a few minutes ago. She's just getting groceries so it shouldn't take long for her to get back."

Lincoln could trust that assessment. Even by foot, a trip from their house to Aquacorde Town, which was only possible along the path of Route 1, would take, at most, about ten minutes.

Leaving it at that, Lincoln committed to eating his breakfast, savoring each bite that he had in front of him. He sat in silence for a good five minutes before his father spoke up.

"Say, uh, Lincoln?"

Lincoln swallowed his mouthful of scrambled eggs before he answered back with a "Yeah?"

"Listen, I was thinking that since you've graduated from primary school and you got yourself your own Pokémon Handler's License, it's time we start thinking about your future.

Now, I understand that you've worked hard these past few years and that you deserve a break but all the same, you shouldn't let this summer break keep you from sharpening your mind and keeping your focus on a brighter tomorrow. You've earned the grades to make it anywhere in the world and I don't want to see your efforts go to waste."

Lincoln stewed bitterly at the irony of his father's words; the only effort he wanted to exert was with Pokémon battling and with his father's attitude, despite him stating that he didn't want his hard work to go to waste, that's exactly what would happen if he had his way.

He was sure his mother would approve, seeing as how he never recalled her having any objections to Pokémon training before, but even if he knew for sure, he knew that without both of his parent's permission, a journey through the Kalos region would be next to impossible.

"I…I understand, Dad," Lincoln replied with reluctance, "but what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Why're you asking me? I'm pretty sure you've got a few plans already mapped out, am I right?"

Oh, he most certainly did but Lincoln knew that divulging the truth to his father would be a pointless endeavor.

"Well, I…I guess so," Lincoln vaguely complied.

Lynn gave his son a thumbs up, missing out on the subtle cues of Lincoln's internal angst.

"Good. So, since you're not busy doing anything today, I want you to start looking up some internships that relate to your interests. Internships will give you to the experience you need before you start making your first steps into the real world. You don't need to make a big list or anything but just a few places where you'd like to see yourself working soon. Show me what you've come up with by…let's say, dinner time this evening. Okay?"

Just great. Now he had to spend the rest of the day looking up internships for careers that he had zero interest in pursuing right. But again, Lincoln knew he didn't have a chance to get his father to change his mind so once again, Lincoln disingenuously gave in.

"Okay, Dad. I will," Lincoln "agreed" while looking somberly down at the plate of food scraps that remained.

"Atta boy!" Lynn cheered and gave a hearty slap on Lincoln's back.

The brown-haired patriarch suddenly got up from his seat and started walking away. Lincoln looked up and followed his retreating form until he noted that his father turned around and looked back at his son.

"By the way, since I won't be working with my commercial fishing company today, how would you like to go fishing with me in a couple hours by the lake on Route 1? Just the two of us. Just make sure you get a couple of those internships picked out before we go."

Normally, Lincoln would be happy to know that his father didn't have to leave the house for days to fish for his company, like he had to every so often, but today just wasn't a day that he could find any enthusiasm within him.

"That sounds fun, I guess. Thanks, Dad," Lincoln replied unenthusiastically as he jabbed his fork into one of his pancakes.

Had he not immediately gone back to eating his food, he would've seen his father looking on at him in concern before he went up the stairs. He didn't care to mind his surroundings for he was too engrossed in his melancholy to put up a chipper façade any further.

It just wasn't fair! He loved his father but he could do nothing but lament at the fact that he wasn't more liberal to the idea of his son realizing his goals. Why couldn't he be more accepting like Clyde's fathers? They would never…

Clyde...Clyde! That was it! Why hadn't he thought of it before? Despite all the time they spent talking to each other, Lincoln never bothered to ask Clyde about how his dads warmed to the idea of their son venturing through the Kalos region. Perhaps, there was nothing more to it than their natural dispositions accepting the prospect but maybe, just maybe, Clyde had appealed his case in a manner that got them to approve.

Wolfing down the remainder of his food in a hurry, Lincoln hurriedly took his dirty dishes to the sink and gingerly dropped them off. He then bolted to his room with a new plan in mind and one that would hopefully send him on his way to his destiny.

* * *

Lincoln fished through the dresser next to his bed, his fingers finding just about everything but the item he was looking for.

After digging up a half-eaten peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich, a broken yo-yo, some shoelaces, and a…raisin(?), Lincoln was about to throw in the towel until…

' _Aha! There it is!'_ Lincoln mentally celebrated when his hand found the familiar, cool texture of the screen of his trusty Holo Caster.

Grasping the machine firmly, Lincoln pulled out a palm-sized red device with a half-circular black pad underneath the screen and a tiny white button in the corner. He pressed that button and immediately, the screen flashed, giving Lincoln the familiar view of a list of contacts. He scrolled down on the touchscreen of the Holo Caster until he got to the bottom and pressed his finger on the name "Clyde McBride". Upon doing so, the machine began to hum quietly, continuing to do so until a sharp pinging sound rendered the air and the holographic projection of a freckled boy with dark skin, black, wiry hair, and eyeglasses popped out of the screen.

"Hey, Clyde," Lincoln greeted with a small grin on his face. No matter what sour mood he was in, talking to Clyde was always therapeutic. There was nothing quite like talking to his one and only friend in the world.

"'Sup, Lincoln," the hologram of Clyde answered back. "You don't look so good. What's wrong?"

Lincoln inwardly chuckled. Leave it to Clyde to see through him so easily.

"I'll tell you in a little bit. But first, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Well, you know about how your dads are letting you travel through Kalos so you can get experience before you become a Pokémon Ranger?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, it's just that…how did you get them to agree to it? What exactly did you say to them when you asked for their permission?"

"I dunno. I just asked them and they told me it was okay."

Lincoln groaned. That was the last thing he needed to hear. He was hoping that Clyde had stumbled upon the right combination of words that bought him his freedom but sadly, that didn't appear to be true.

He nearly missed what Clyde had to say next as he somewhat amended himself.

"Well, actually, only one of my dads agreed. My other dad said it was fine but when he said it, he didn't exactly sound like he was completely on board with it. It was one of those 'Yeah, I guess you can go if you really want to' kind of replies. Y'know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Lincoln answered listlessly, still far too bummed out about not getting what he was looking for.

"Okay, so now that I told you all of that, care to explain why you're asking me this?"

Lincoln didn't care to see what the point was at this point but Clyde did deserve to know the truth. Beyond that, confiding in him his inner turmoil could at least prompt some sympathy to come from him, something he really felt he needed.

"The thing is, I wanted to go with you while you were out and about on your journey. The only reason why I never told you until now was because I knew that if I asked my dad, he'd shoot down the idea in a hurry. Sure, my mom may not mind but he definitely would. So, that's why-"

"That's why you thought you'd ask me for advice on how to convince your dad, right?" Clyde interrupted.

"Well…yeah."

"I see," Clyde pondered as he stroked an invisible beard under his chin.

Lincoln looked on at Clyde's contemplating features and despite feeling backed into a corner, couldn't help but feel a sprout of hope taking root within himself.

Finally, Clyde spoke up after a few moments of silence.

"I know this is gonna sound really crazy, Lincoln, but are you absolutely certain that he's going to turn you down?"

"Absolutely," Lincoln said matter-of-factly. "There's no way he's gonna say 'yes'. No way. Dad's stubborn. Once his mind is set on something, he won't let go no matter what."

"Oh, come now, Lincoln, don't you think you're exaggerating just a little bit?"

"Oh yeah?" Lincoln challenged with a quirked eyebrow. "Once, he wanted to have steamed Corphish for dinner and went out to fish for one out by the lake on Route 1. He spent the entire day looking for one, even after some nearby fishermen told him that Corphish didn't live there."

"Okay, so maybe h-"

"He refuses to let Charles eat Poffins after he read some hokey online article about how they can cause cancer, even after our veterinarian said that they were okay for him to consume."

"Alright, I will admit th-"

"And that's not all! Just last month, Dad insisted that he could keep up with his weekend afternoon jogging routine!"

"Why is that so bad?"

"He had a broken foot!"

Lincoln ended his tirade in exasperation while Clyde remained utterly stunned. Silence then ensued between the two friends before Lincoln groaned mournfully again.

"See? Once he says 'no' to me, that's it. It'll all be over and I'll have to go sign up for some boring internship program, where I'll do nothing of interest or fun the entire time."

Lincoln looked up and saw Clyde committing to his invisible beard quirk again. Though he didn't think he could be of much help, he was still interested to see that he was still brainstorming for ideas

"Again, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but are you absolutely sure he's going to reject the idea?"

Really? Didn't he just explain why he absolutely _would_?

"Clyde, we've _just_ been through this," Lincoln bemoaned while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course he'l-"

"Wait. Just hear me out first, Lincoln," Clyde pleaded.

Lincoln simply folded his arms, frowned, and waited for his "consolation".

"Like I said before, one of my dads didn't exactly like the idea of me roaming Kalos on my own. Well, on my own with a few of my own Pokémon but you get the idea. Anyways, I think the reason why he allowed me to go…was because he understood it was something I wanted to do. He realized that I wanted to be a Pokémon Ranger more than anything and I guess by that point, he had no choice but to accept that."

Lincoln's hardened features softened.

"So you think…if I just go to him and plead my case…he'll just accept that that's what I'm going to do and support me?"

"Absolutely. This is your dream we're talking about. No loving parent would want to get in the way of their child's future, would they? Especially when their child is Lincoln Loud."

Lincoln thought about Clyde's words and smiled when he found comfort in them. Truly, his father couldn't be all that rigid, could he? Would he really prop up his own convictions and wants over his son's? Now that he thought about it, Lincoln saw no reason why he would.

Smiling the first genuine smile since he woke up, Lincoln looked on at Clyde wearing a similar expression as him.

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose it can't hurt to try. Thanks, Clyde. Talk to you later. I've got some work to do now."

"Don't mention it. See ya on the tenth!"

With that, the hologram shut off. Lincoln turned off his Holo Caster and placed it back where he found it. Once he was done with that, he reached for the laptop that was stowed away underneath his bed. Lincoln hadn't lied when he said that he had some work to do. After all, his father wanted him to look up internships and that's _exactly_ what he would do.

Only, they weren't exactly the types that he felt that his father would approve of. It was all part of a plan he just cooked up: he would tell his father what he wanted to really do at dinner tonight, all while his mother and three sisters were present. He hoped that Lola, Lana, and his mother would approve of his idea and show his father that support in Lincoln wasn't such a stupid idea. Meanwhile, Lincoln would present a few noteworthy Pokémon Trainer internships that would prove that training also had credibility beyond just training and winning battles.

As Lincoln booted up his laptop, set on pushing his plans into action, a figure stepped away from his door. Said figure had heard just about everything from Lincoln and Clyde's conversation and left to go about their own way.

* * *

 _And so, with his mind made up, Lincoln spent the next few hours on the Internet, searching rigorously for the apprenticeships that would hopefully gain his father's endorsement. Though his virtual forage, he found only one opportunity that would accommodate for his need to depart from home on the tenth of June._

 _Before Lincoln could press on further in his research, his father called him to make haste for the fishing outing that he had planned for them earlier. In no time at all, Lincoln and Lynn were on their way to their destination, with Charles, the family Snubbull, coming along for the trip. In about twenty minutes, the father/son duo, clad in red fishing vests, have their lines cast in their designated lake as they sit back and wait for their catch to spring forth from the waters…_

* * *

 _Kalos Route 1. May 29_ _th_ _, 2036. 2:35 PM_

One could add fishing with his father to the things that Lincoln enjoyed immensely. The routine for doing so was an experience that only titillated his Pokémon Trainer ambitions.

First, his father would cast his line into the water and wait for a Pokémon to take the bait. Once he was able to successfully heave the creature onto dry land, his father would send his Snubbull into battle and beat the Pokémon into submission, thus securing a meal for the day. Although it wasn't quite like battling Pokémon in official matches, it was the closest thing that Lincoln had and it was a pastime that he cherished deeply.

Today, however, was not one of those days where Lincoln could wait for the thrill to come with bated breath. He was far too engrossed in what he had discovered in his internship search. What he had managed to stumble across was exactly what he was looking for. But the question was, how could he relay the news to his father without him freaking out?

He thought that Clyde's words emboldened him but once he found himself right next to the source of his perturbation, his resolve melted in a puddle.

Before he could think any further, he felt something nudge him softly in the ribs. He looked towards his right and saw his father looking down at him from where he sat cross-legged by the lake.

"Lincoln?" Lynn asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, Dad?" Lincoln answered somewhat apprehensively.

Instead of answering him right away, Lynn simply looked out at the crystal blue waters of the lake for a few seconds before replying, "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

That got Lincoln's heart racing in a hurry. Just how did his father know that he had something on his mind? And more importantly, what could he say now that he was being called out on it?

Lincoln mentally scurried around for a lie to satiate his father's curiosity until he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder.

"Let's go with the truth, okay, Lincoln?" Lynn said with an amused smirk on his face. "I know that face; the one where you're trying to make something up and think you'll get it past me. Look, I figured out that something's been bugging you since I saw you at breakfast this morning. Whatever it is, I can help you. That's what parents are for."

The boy wanted nothing more than to let his father know that it was him that was making him anxious but not at the risk of hearing him turn down his journey proposal. It was hard enough to work up the courage to let him know about it at dinner, like he had planned before, but now? There wasn't a chance he could do it.

But really, wouldn't it be better to tell him about the Pokémon Trainer internship program he found about now rather than mull about it further and risk losing his nerve? Lincoln supposed that divulging him with the truth now would be for the best but that wouldn't make his objective any easier.

"W-well, you see, Dad," Lincoln fumbled out, "I just…I just I wanted to let you know tha-"

Before he could finish, Lynn instantly took his hand off his son's shoulder and returned it back to the handle of his fishing pole.

"Woah!" Lynn exclaimed as he tightened his grip on the pole. "Hold that thought, Lincoln! I think I have a bite!"

Ordinarily, Lincoln would join in on his father's enthusiasm but he just couldn't find to fire within him to engage in the excitement. He was far too despondent about being denied his chance to be honest and get his grand plan initiated right away, even if it didn't involve his mother and sisters.

Sighing woefully, Lincoln just reeled in his own fishing line as he waited for his father's struggle with his catch to come to an end. It didn't take long for the commercial fisherman to finally reel in…

"Another boot! Dang it! How many times am I gonna keep pulling these things in?! That's that ninth one this month!" Lynn grumbled as he reeled the large, black boot in before chucking it past his shoulder. At the sight of the tossed boot, Charles, who had been lounging about in the grass lazily, ran towards it and before the boot could touch the ground, the Pokémon caught it in his teeth and chewed on it with aplomb.

"What a good waste of Basculin bait, too," Lynn further complained as he looked towards his right at the cooler that he brought along. He opened it up and shoveled past layers of ice cubes until he found his plastic, oval container of carved up Basculin that he always used as bait.

"Sorry about that, Lincoln," Lynn apologized as he grabbed a chunk of his bait and slid it effortlessly onto his hook. "Now, what was it you were going to say?"

Lincoln tried to search for that kernel of bravery that he had earlier, that tiny spark of courage that allowed him to open up to his father, but when he couldn't grab onto it, he tossed aside that ambition in a hurry.

"Nothing," Lincoln said in a defeated fashion. He saw the "I'm not buying it" look on his father's face before insisting, "Really, Dad, it's nothing. I'll tell you and Mom tonight at dinner, okay?"

' _Better to not steer far from the course, anyways,'_ Lincoln reasoned. He had wanted to tell him during dinner and that's what he would do, even if the tenseness killed him.

"Well, alright then," Lynn replied, still not completely satisfied but not willing to press the issue any further. For now, he would bask in the tranquility that this summer afternoon brought for him and his son.

Oh yeah, and get a catch that wasn't supposed to be worn on your foot. Seriously, who chucks boots into a lake?!

* * *

 _The Loud Residence. May 29_ _th_ _, 2036. 7:38 PM _

The stage is now set and all the required players are assembled. Time is winding down, disaster is almost imminent, and the stakes have never been higher.

Okay, so maybe such a dramatic declaration wasn't necessary for the mundane custom of dinnertime but Lincoln couldn't help himself! The food, freshly caught Barboach, that he and his father reeled in a few hours ago, seemed to taunt him menacingly from the middle of the table, it's glazed eye boring holes into him.

Either that or Lincoln is too freaked out and anxious to make his move like he wanted and is projecting his fears on Pokémon that his family, sans Lily, who could only drink formula and eat mashed baby food, were tearing into like there's no tomorrow.

He looks down at his plate of untouched Barboach chunks and frowns, frustrated at his passiveness. Why couldn't he go through with this? His mother, father, twin sisters, and baby sister were all in one place, surrounding the dinner table like he wanted. Thankfully, though, they weren't paying him any mind to ask what's wrong with him and/or why he hasn't touched his food yet.

That was a relief, at least. At least now, he could summon the wherewithal to begin his course of action without being intruded on. Now, all he needed were but a few moments of self-encouragement and he would be right as rain.

"Hey, Linc?"

Or not.

He snaps out his reverie and follows where the voice came from, looking around at his left until he's staring into the worried eyes of Lana, who has him in his sights like he was a half-eaten potato chip that she dug up in her couch diving expeditions for "essential nutrition". He nearly cringes when he sees the look of concern plastered all over her face and Lincoln can't help but feel guilty at the uneasiness that he inadvertently caused her.

"Oh, uh, h-hey, Lana," Lincoln nervously chuckles. "Need somethin'?"

Lana picks up her fork and points towards his plate.

"You haven't even dug in yet. You feelin' okay, bro?"

"Well…I'm just not all that hungry, I guess," Lincoln reassures to the best of his ability while giving her a shy grin. "Don't worry about it."

A beat of silence ensues before Lana simply replies with a terse and quiet, "Oh."

Another beat of silence. Then another. Then another. Then another. And then everything clicks in Lincoln's mind. He looks at the Barboach in the middle of the dining table and sees nothing but a few slabs of meat left on the skeleton. As he predicted, when he looks back at Lana again, her eyes seem to be pleading to him. The telltale drip of drool, sliding out from the corner of her mouth, only punctuates the validity of his suspicions.

"Yes, Lana, you can have my share of the food," Lincoln laughs, then chortles when he sees Lana drop her fork to reach for his plate with exuberance.

"Thanks, Lincoln! You're the best!"

Her cry of gratitude attracts the attention of everyone else at the table, including a bad-tempered little girl with eyes that exude the greenness of envy.

"Hey!" Lola shouts when she spots her twin closing in on Lincoln's plate, causing Lana to freeze in her tracks. "Why do _you_ get Lincoln's portions of the Barboach?! _I_ want them!"

Lincoln, Lily, and their parents look on as they sense the hostility beginning to bubble to the surface. Lynn and Rita know when to put their foot down and break things up but despite the odds not being in the favor of a peaceful outcome, they like to think that one of these days, their twin daughters will resolve disputes without coming to blows or insults.

Lincoln and Lily, on the other hand, always liked dinner with a show and simply sit back and enjoy the imminent fireworks.

Meanwhile, Lana turns to Lola, determined to fight for what was hers while getting under her twin's skin at the same time.

"Well, first of all," Lana begins with a practiced haughty smirk that she reserves specifically for these occasions, "I'm older than you, which means th-"

"BY TWO MINUTES!"

"Whatever. Anyway, since I'm the oldest, that means I get first dibs. Second, even if that wasn't true, Lincoln gave them to me because unlike you, _I'm_ not a bossy brat," Lana smirks and relishes in the steam that seems to be pouring out of Lola's ears.

However, she regains her composure quickly, a giveaway gesture that suggests that she's come up with a retort of her own.

"Oh yeah?! Well, at least I'm not a butt sniffer!" Lola sneers with folded arms.

"H-hey!" Lana objects with furrowed eyebrows. "That was _one_ time and the only reason I did it was because I wanted to know what the big deal was since Charles does it all the time!"

"Butt sniffer, butt sniffer, butt sniffer, butt sniffer, butt sniffer," Lola chants as she jabs her finger into Lana's chest with each succession of her insult.

"Shut up, Lola!"

" _Buuuuuuuuuuuuuutt sniffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!_ " Lola taunts with an intentionally irritating singsong voice and follows up her mockery by tugging down on Lana's red hat, causing Lana's head to violently jerk backwards.

She recovers instantly and with an objective that's far from pleasant.

"That does it!" Lana bellows and tackles Lana out of her seat and onto the floor. Lily claps excitedly and giggles as she witnesses her older sisters roll around on the floor, yank at each other's hair, and bite at each other's limbs.

Lynn and Rita, on the other hand, have seen enough and quickly get out of their seats to break up the quarrel. Rita grabs hold of Lola and yanks her away before she can successfully get Lana into a Full Nelson while Lynn holds Lana down before she can spring back up to her feet and go back at it with a flurry of wild punches.

"Girls, that is enough!" Rita exclaims angrily. "You both know that this is unacceptable behavior! How many times have we told you not to fight, especially when we're all eating as a family?!"

"None of you are getting Lincoln's share!" Lynn chimes in. "In fact, you're not getting dessert, either! Instead, you're both going up to your room for the rest of the night!"

This immediately gets the squirming twins to halt their frenetic movements in favor of looking at the floor with downcast demeanors.

Lincoln, who was merely taking everything in as it happened, panics once he realizes what's about to transpire. This was not part of the plan. He needed all the morale support he could get to take the brave step forward.

"Wait!" he shouts, getting the attention of everyone present. "Before you guys send them off…"

He trails off when that queasy feeling in his stomach begins to churn but swallows down his inner bout of nausea to continue.

"There's something I have to tell you all," Lincoln timidly finishes while he looks away from all the stares he's getting.

He snaps his attention back to his family, more specifically, his father, when he hears him let out a whimsical laugh.

"Oooooh, that's right," Lynn chortles as he lightly slaps his forehead with the heel of one hand, "I almost forgot about those internships that I wanted you to look up earlier. You want to tell us about the ones you found, right?"

Lincoln bashfully nods and prays that his pounding heart mercifully stays in his ribcage where it belongs.

"Well, okay then," Lynn agrees while letting Lana off the floor. "If it's important enough for Lola and Lana to hear about, then I suppose I can let them stick around until you're done."

Rita lets Lola go and nudges her back to her seat. In a matter of seconds, Lincoln is the center of needed but anxiety-inducing attention as his family surrounds him from their seats at the dining table.

' _Here goes nothing,'_ Lincoln thinks while bracing himself for the emotional rollercoaster that he knows is sure to follow but hopes won't be too much of a bumpy ride.

"Okay, first of all, there was only one internship I found that interested me. I looked around for hours after I came across it but nothing else piqued my interest quite like this one did.

Second of all, this is one that I really, really want to stick with. I know I've only been spent a day doing research but I know that deep down, this is the one for me."

Lincoln, despite the relative success he's had thus far with making himself heard, can't help but shut his eyes and dread for the worst. The calm, steady tone of his father's voice is the only thing that gets him to slowly open his eyes, one after another.

"Well, if you really feel that way, Lincoln, let's hear about it."

The adrenaline in his body spikes when he realizes he's on the hot seat again but nervousness aside, Lincoln prepares to go to bat once more.

It was time for his next plan of attack; appeal to his parents by presenting the founder of the internship program as the intelligent individual that she was. Lincoln, admittedly, didn't care too much to look up on the establisher. Heck, he couldn't even find pictures of the woman but from what he recalled, she had gone to college and, as if to further showcase her brains, wrote the outline of the program using words that Lincoln had to constantly look into his dictionary to figure out the meaning of.

That had to count for _something_ , right?

"So, anyways, the internship program is run by a professor that has her own lab in Aquacorde Town. Her name is Professor Spruce and she has a Ph.D in both Engineering and Biochemistry," Lincoln rattled off with a bit of grin.

As he predicted, his father's eyes dazzled and his once neutral expression blossomed into a gleeful state. His mother, however, remained as impartial as it did when he started.

Before he could think about why that was, he had to go with the next phase of his plan; slowly but surely give out all the fine details of his desired internship, thus inspiring tolerance in his parents at a steady, manageable rate.

He decided to go with the most radical one first.

"And well…" Lincoln stammered, "t-the thing is…in order for me to do this…I…I-I'm gonna have to leave home for a little w-while."

Lincoln is far too anxious to close his eyes again, wanting to take in everyone's reactions at once to see what he had to deal with.

Lily just cooed and babbled with the best of them while Lola and Lana both stare at him with slightly shocked faces and agape mouths.

Meanwhile, joy is no longer present on his father at all. Instead, a stern, boldened face is all Lincoln can see. He briefly looks towards his mother again and once more, finds her to be giving him nothing more than an impersonal glare.

Although, Lincoln could swear that there was a glint of knowing behind her eyes but he couldn't dwell on it for long as his father's voice called out to him for his attention.

"Is that so?" Lynn questions.

"Y-yes, Dad," Lincoln affirms with a quick nod of his head, "it is so."

"I see," Lynn remarks as he taps the side of his head with his fingers, a sign that he's taking in everything his son has said.

A full minute of silence, in all its tense-filled, nerve-racking "glory", eclipses before the patriarch speaks up.

"You still haven't explained to us what it is that this internship entails and I'm gonna be honest, Lincoln, I don't like how vague you're being. What exactly aren't you telling us that you don't think we'll like?"

Lincoln's eyes widened as he feels the stability of his position wobble and shake underneath him.

"I-I'm not worried about any of them," Lincoln admits as he wrings his hands together nervously. "I'm worried about _you_."

"Oh?" Lynn asks somewhat irritably. "And why is th-"

"'Cause I know you won't like what it is," Lincoln interrupts with slight firmness in his voice.

Though taken slightly aback by the defiance in Lincoln's tone, Lynn continues, undeterred.

"That depends on what it is. Now, I know you didn't waste all day hoping that I'd just approve of whatever haphazard internship you came across, did you? I expect only the best for my son and you're not going to sully your school efforts by accepting any slipshod opportunity tickles your fancy."

Everyone in the room can sense it; the thick, tense energy that permeates through the atmosphere as the heightened ire of father and son reaches towards a climax.

Lincoln remains silent after his father's supposition and trains his eyes at the table while softly balling his fists.

"Lincoln?" Lynn outwardly seems to beckon but inwardly demands.

No reply.

"Lincoln, are you listening to me?"

Having seen just about enough, Rita places a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Lynn, don't you think you sho-"

Lynn gently pries that hand off without even looking at her. All eyes, except for those of Lincoln's, follow him as he approaches his son, stopping when he's standing right next to him, his shadow looming over his silent son menacingly.

"No, Rita, I want to get to the bottom of this right now. If Lincoln's so anxious about my approval, then he's going to learn if he's going to get it. If he won't, then I'll help him steer in the right direction when he looks for more internships tomorrow."

Once again, his words don't get his son to look up at him or answer him. They do, however, get him to shake slightly in his seat.

"Lincoln?"

Again, no reply.

"Lincoln, you will answer me this inst-"

"It's a Pokémon Trainer internship!" Lincoln bellows as he smacks his open palms against the wood of the table, making the silverware and plates shake and rattle momentarily.

There. It was finally out of his mouth and out in the open. Now, all that was left was to wait for the rejection so he could sully off to bed and mope.

"A…a what?" he hears his father ask in a befuddled manner that Lincoln has never heard from him before.

The bitterness and indignation within him stirs him to getting everything off his chest as he explains, "It's a Pokémon Trainer internship. Professor Spruce is looking for new trainers to promote her technology while they travel Kalos to train and challenge other trainers. The only requirements are that applicants want to explore the region to train Pokémon and fight opponents, which they can only do if they have a Pokémon Handler's license like I do. For some reason, she also specified that they be relatively new and inexperienced to Pokémon battling. Oh, and I think there's some 'aptitude test', too but I don't think I should have a problem with that. All I have to do is turn in an online application and see if I can get in."

"And…you're saying that you wish to sign up for this internship program?" Lynn asks, not missing a beat. "Is that correct?"

Lincoln vigorously nods his head and looks up at his father for the first time since he walked over to him.

"Yes, Dad. That's correct. I'll know if I got it on June 9th, one day before Clyde leaves on his journey."

The room stills as the following silence only furthers to build towards the contention that's sure to proceed.

And then…then Lynn laughs. Genuinely, honestly laughs. It's Lincoln's turn to be puzzled now as he takes in the mirthful, jovial expression his father has as he mellows out of his laughter to address him cordially.

"Well, it's no wonder you were worried about me. Lincoln, you really didn't think I'd ever let you do this, right?"

Anticipating for the doom to befall him was one thing but _hearing_ the closure surmounted Lincoln's fortitude.

The boy can only stare back at his father, hurt evident on his face. Lynn doesn't take it in at all, choosing to explain himself to his son instead.

"Leave for home to do what? Travel around an entire region by yourself? And for what? To train Pokémon for battling? And then what, Lincoln? What will you do with yourself then? Last I checked, Pokémon Trainers don't have a salary."

Lincoln snaps out of his sullen stupor to look around for signs of encouragement from his sisters of mother. By now, his mother has looked away, clearly distraught from the outcome of this altercation. Meanwhile, Lana plays with a pigtail of her while also looking away. The only one to meet his eyes with Lola, whom to Lincoln's dismay, is wearing a smirk on her face that is far from benevolent, almost as if she was satisfied with the hot water that her brother has found himself in.

The boy can sense his meager handle of control slip away and hurriedly relies on his last trump card left up his sleeve.

"B-but that's the thing, Dad, I-I won't be by myself," Lincoln fumbles out meekly, "See, Clyde's leaving home in a few weeks to learn about the in's and out's of being a Pokémon Ranger and I was hoping that you'd accept so we can go live out our dreams together. He's really smart, too, Dad. We both graduated from ATPA at the top of our class, remember? We can both look out for each other and.."

The hardened glare and scowl he gets from his father effectively silences him into submission. Defeated, Lincoln slinks into his chair.

"Lincoln, traveling through an entire region while living off the land are two completely different things from studying and going to class. Besides, a Pokémon Ranger is a _job_ , Lincoln. Clyde's striving for an occupation that will provide for society and for a family.

Winning battles and tournaments is nice and all but that fame and glory won't last forever. Besides, you can't be the best all the time. What will happen when someone comes along and beats you and no matter what, you can't defeat them? Then what, Lincoln? Are you just going to run back home with your tail tucked between your legs without anything else in the world to lean on and all because you never bothered to use your talents for something productive?

I understand that you're young and that you think you have all the time in the world to play around but you can't afford to make mistakes and get sidetracked with these whimsical little fantasies. You ought to start living for the future, Lincoln, not getting swept up with sensations that will only lead to your downfall."

"B-but…" Lincoln starts up again once he feels the slightest twinge of inspiration to fight back but once more, loses his nerve.

Rita, sensing the toxicity of the situation building towards dangerous heights, silently motions for her twin daughters to leave and head to their room and to take Lily with them. There's some resistance on Lola's part but she eventually gives in to her mother's defiant glare and grabs Lily from her high chair before following behind Lana.

Once they've headed up the stairs, Lynn is back on the offensive with his input.

"And even if all of that wasn't true, even if Pokémon training was the most stable, financially secure job in the world, the fact of the matter is, Lincoln, you are far too young to be wandering around Kalos and battling dangerous Pokémon and strangers just for the thrill of it. What if something happens to you, huh? What do you expect us to do with ourselves if you get hurt? Or _worse_?"

"I…I told you, Dad," Lincoln feebly urges with not that much left in the tank, "I can handle it. And like I said, Clyde will-"

"I don't care what the McBrides do with their son!" Lynn roars and pounds a fist against the dining table, causing Lincoln to squirm about fearfully in his seat. "You are _my_ son, which means that I am responsible for making sure that you don't go out there and make a complete fool of yourself by doing something you'll regret!"

It was those last few words that did the trick.

"Fool". "Regret".

Those were things that his own father, the man he looked up to and loved, associated with his ambitions. He thought he couldn't do it. He thought he'd fail. He thought that…because he thought that _he_ was a failure.

Gone was the fear, the apprehension, the timidity the submerged Lincoln into a state of uneasy compliance.

Now, all that's left is unyielding rage, rage the he plans on letting loose on the man responsible for dragging him down.

Pushing his chair back, harshly scraping the legs of it against the floor, Lincoln stands up and turns towards his father, trembling and shaking as his conscience urges him to keep a hold of his anger.

He doesn't listen.

"Oh, so now you care about responsibility, huh?! Since when do you care about being responsible?!" Lincoln barks with bared teeth, pointing an accusatory finger at his father.

"Lincoln Loud," Lynn fires back with a snarl that matched the ferocity of a Gyrados, "you will learn the meaning of respect and you will learn it _now_! I am your-"

"Father?! Is that what you were gonna say?! Don't make me laugh!" Lincoln barrels through without the slightest bit of remorse.

He inwardly smiles in triumph at the aghast, wounded look on his father's face but if Lincoln knows anything, it's that he's not even close to being done.

"Between you outright rejecting my dreams and you leaving home for days to fish for your dumb company, I can't even tell _what_ you are anymore!"

"Lincoln! Lynn! _ENOUGH!_ "

The stern, pleading cry of Rita causes both father and son to look towards the Loud matriarch, who appears to be one-part furious, one-part spooked, and two-parts devastated.

Like a Deerling in the headlights, Lincoln makes a break for it, shouting out angrily as he bolts past his father to run up the stairs. He doesn't pay any mind to Lola and Lana, who were standing by the top step, clearly eavesdropping on the argument downstairs. All he wants is solitude and the feeble grasp on his inner peace that it can afford.

Downstairs, Lynn winces when he hears the slamming of a door come from upstairs and slumps into Lincoln's seat at the dining table.

Catatonically, he stares off into space, completely out of sync with his surroundings, not paying any mind to his wife walking up behind him and rubbing his shoulder softly with her hand.

"Whenever you're ready, I need to have a word with you in the living room about…what just happened between you and your son. I don't have to tell you that you don't have much of a choice."

* * *

After heading upstairs and making sure that none of her children are up and snooping in on her, Rita returns to find that her husband wasn't where she left him. She surmises that he's already taken a spot on the living room couch and when she looks to see for herself, there he sits, face buried in his open palms.

She takes a spot next to her moping husband is about to speak first but he does it first

"Rita…was I too hard on him?" Lynn feebly asks.

Without even looking up, he can tell his wife as a "Well, duh" look on her face and quickly reprimands himself.

"Wait…don't answer that. Of course, I was. Let me rephrase that."

Lynn rubbed his temples and breathed deeply through his nose, fighting the urge to break down into tears.

"What I meant was, did I make the right call by telling him that signing up for that internship was forbidden?"

"That depends on your feelings about the matter," Rita told him firmly. "As a father, do you think this opportunity is in Lincoln's best interests?

"Of course not!" Lynn retorted immediately as he spun around to look at Rita. Once his eyes locked with her stern ones, he quickly shied away from her gaze.

"I mean…I-I guess so," he amended.

"Oh? So, are you certain or uncertain? Don't change your answer because of how you want others to feel. Stand firm on your own convictions."

"That's just it, Rita," Lynn lamented in self-deprecation. "I don't…I don't have any convictions."

"Of course, you do, dear," Rita assured as she patted Lynn's leg, "You love your children more than anything in the world. We both do. _That's_ your conviction."

Lynn sighed mournfully and shook his head.

"No, not like that."

He looks down at the hand on his leg and covers with one of his own.

"What I mean is…I don't know what to do about this, about him. I turned him down off pure instinct because I always thought that if my son was going to make something out of himself, he wouldn't do it by going down the path of an impulse-bound glory hog without a clue, especially without us to be there to guide him back to his senses."

Rita smoothed her thumb over his hand when she saw him trembling slightly.

"But then, when he told me off like that…when he said that I rejected his dreams, I gained a new perspective. In a way, one could say that when I turned away his dreams, I turned him away. And…and when you think about it, maybe that's true. I've never seen him act like that before. I don't know how long he's been wishing to become a Pokémon Trainer but if it's been for a long time then…"

Lynn grit his teeth and grabbed onto his wife's hand harder than he intended.

"Then I've destroyed him," Lynn states in a scornful, harsh whisper. "And the worst thing is, I still don't have a clue if that was for the best or not. I can't commit, Rita. Where's the conviction in that?"

After his painful confession, Rita didn't know what to think now. All she could do was go back to what she overheard his son talk about earlier and how concerned she was about his confrontation he would have to have with his father on the subject.

"I think I have an idea about how much he wants to do this," Rita said without really thinking.

That at least got her husband to look at her, breaking out of his self-pity for the moment so she decided to work with that angle further.

"Earlier today, when I was about to do some laundry, I heard my son talking to Clyde with his Holo Caster in his room. I heard just about everything from him: how worried he was about telling you about his trainer goal, how happy he was when Clyde urged him onward to tell you everything. I heard it all."

"And what do you have to say about all of that?" Lynn queried.

Rita took on a smile and divulged, "Well, it's like you said, Lynn, Lincoln is a boy with the potential to make a name for himself in the world. If he thinks he can do something with this internship, and more specifically, with his Kalos expedition, I can't find it within me to turn him down."

She sniggered when he saw Lynn look at her like she sprouted Heracross wings out of her back.

"But…how can you be so calm about it?" Lynn faltered with desperation. "Aren't you worried that something might happen to him?"

"Of course, I do," Rita attested, "but if I never took risks, I would've listened to my parents and not marry the most wonderful man in the entire world."

Though flattered by the compliment, Lynn's primary setting was still on "worrywart".

"Rita, this is more than a risk, it's a gamble and a huge one at that. You know I'd do anything for Lincoln, for any of my children, but I can't help but feel like…I dunno, that something might happen to him and-"

"You sound less sure of yourself than before," Rita interrupted with a cocky smirk. "Are you sure you don't want your son to follow his dreams?"

"I…I-I guess?" Lynn answered tepidly.

"Lynn, I want to ask you a question and please try not to be offended by it," Rita asked with sincerity.

"What is it?"

Rita looked away at the floor, not wanting to meet Lynn's scrutiny head-on.

"Do you think Lincoln would get hurt out there if he went or are you just worried he'll fail because _you've_ felt like a failure before and you don't want that happening to him?"

She could only guess that she had wounded his pride with that line. She hadn't meant to do it but it was the only thing that Rita could think of that explained Lynn's reluctance about letting Lincoln be off on his way like he wanted. The silence she got was a strong indication that she hit right on the mark.

With that knowledge, she got up and faced Lynn, who was bowing his head in shame.

"If you truly believe that Lincoln getting into training at his age isn't the right call, you need to tell Lincoln that he's not going no matter what and put your foot down on the matter for good. I may not agree with it but I'll be right behind you if you honestly feel as though Lincoln shouldn't pursue his ambitions.

But if you happen to go against that, tell him that you and I both support him and we'll be here for him, no matter what."

After that, Rita left him to wallow in his thoughts, hoping that he would be honest about his feelings either way. Before he went up the stairs to her and her husband's bedroom, she gave him one lasting glance before going about her way.

* * *

The darkness of his room failed to replicate the darkness and melancholy that simmered in Lincoln's soul as he curled up in his bed with his head laid against his tear-stained pillow.

Lincoln didn't know how long it had been since he told his father off like that but to him, it might as well have been an eternity. God, how he wished that he hadn't said anything at all. If only he kept his stupid mouth shut instead of going with what he wanted, he'd be sad and frustrated but at least it'd only be his problem and not anyone else's.

He hadn't meant what he said to him, how he didn't know who he was just because he had a job that kept him from home for days at a time. It wasn't his fault he had to make sacrifices to look out for ungrateful children like him. All those long, taxing nights out at sea and for what? For him to come back home so his son can mouth off to him?

But still, Lincoln couldn't help but feel hurt at what he thought his father implied; that he would regret becoming a Pokémon Trainer. He never heard anyone, much less his own father, express doubt in his decisions before. But not just his decisions, his dreams, the fantasies that he felt embodied him as a person. Lincoln would've honestly felt better getting smacked across the face than listen to that than endure that.

Now, all that was left for him to do was try to sleep, try to prevail against his mind that replayed that painful fight over and over again.

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln shot up and looked towards his locked door. He felt his heart sink and his stomach twist and constrict.

' _Not him. Not now.'_

"Lincoln, we need to talk. Open up."

Lincoln turned on his lamp, instantly cutting the darkness away and sighing defeatedly. The voice outside his room wasn't going to go away any time soon and if Lincoln was going to face the music, at least he could get it out of the way and not have to worry about it tomorrow.

Shuffling towards the door slowly, Lincoln opened it and there, standing outside his room, was Lynn, looking down at him with emotions that Lincoln was too fearful to decipher.

"Hey, son."

"H-hey, Dad."

Lynn motioned for Lincoln to have a seat on his bed. Lincoln obeyed but didn't look up as his father took a seat right next to him. Father and son stayed silent for what Lincoln guessed was about a god five minutes.

Finding the resolve to be brave, Lincoln looked up at his father, intent on making things right. If he was going to be brash and stupid enough to reprimand his father like that, than he owed it to him to be a man and right his wrongs.

"Um…Dad, I-I'm really sorry about…about yelling at you like that. I should've never said those horrible things about you. You're the best dad anyone could hope to have and I don't have the right to tell you otherwise."

Immediately, Lincoln was beside himself as he was wrapped in a loose side hug, despite his dreary expectations on what should've happened there and then.

"It's okay, son. I forgive you," Lynn said steadily. "But Lincoln…I need to ask for your forgiveness, too."

Lincoln's eyes widened, "M-my forgiveness? But why?"

"I've been holding you back all this time and until now, I didn't realize that I was until your mother told me that I've been doing it all along," Lynn scoffed bitterly, clearly angry with himself.

"What do you mean by that?" Lincoln asked, curious at his father's enigmatic words.

Lynn released his son and turned around until he was directly facing him.

"Lincoln, do you know why I became a fisherman in the first place?"

"Yeah," Lincoln affirmed with a nod. "You said that you love the seas and the thrill that comes with catching Pokémon with your quick wits, dexterity, and-"

"Throw that bunk out the window, Lincoln," Lynn cut off with the shake of his head. "That was all a lie."

Lincoln only gave him a blank stare. Lynn sighed and ruffled a hand through his hair.

"Lincoln, the reason I took up fishing as a career was because I had nothing left. I never graduated from school like you did. When I was growing up in Kanto, I was too stubborn to take school seriously. I didn't want to learn anything that required work and studying. I'd rather do something "cool", like surfing or motorbike riding or…just about anything than hit the books.

So then, after I got held back for the fourth time, my parents had enough with me and forced me to live with my uncle in Johto so he could straighten me out. I was twelve when that happened. Unlike my parents, my uncle never told me to do anything with myself. The only thing he did was teach me how to fish. The reason? Well, he wasn't going to have his nephew not know how to feed himself."

Despite everything, Lincoln let out a tiny laugh, though his father seemed anything but annoyed at that.

"I hated it. In fact, I'm still not that big of a fan of it. The only reason why I put up with it is because it's the only way I can earn money for the family and because it lets us have some bonding time together," Lynn said as he smiled brightly at his son.

His world-weary expression returned as he continued to spin his tale.

"Anyways, like I said, I didn't enjoy it at first but since it wasn't anything like learning from teachers at school, I learned to tolerate it. Once I learned that I had a knack for it, I started looking for work, anywhere I could and before too long, when I was twenty-one, I was catching Pokémon for markets.

Despite the taxing, boring work, I thought I had it made since I was making enough money to sustain myself but then, everything changed when I met your mother four years after I became a commercial fisherman. To make a long story short, despite the fact that we loved each other, I could never get her parents' blessing to marry her because they thought I was a loser. No way were they going to let some smelly 'ol fisherman marry their school teacher aspiring, Master's degree earning daughter."

Lincoln frowned, "Well, that's dumb to think because you're not a loser."

"That's what your mother always told me," Lynn said with a laugh, "but regardless, I still felt like they were right about me. Even now, I can't help but feel like they were onto something. And even if they were wrong, once your mother and I got hitched and moved to Kalos to start a new life for ourselves, I vowed to be the best father I could be for our children. I wouldn't let them make the same mistakes I did, not taking their education seriously and all. They would have a future, they wouldn't be a bum like me.

And then, when you came into our lives, I was amazed and proud when your diligence shone through and you barely had to get me to prompt you to take your schoolwork seriously. Of course, having your mother be a teacher at ATPA certainly helped you stay in line, didn't it?"

"Sure did," Lincoln chortled.

Sure, having his own mother as his is teacher was a bit of a source of social awkwardness, but if anything, at least it pushed him to avoid the painful experience of his own mother giving him anything less than a B-.

"Anyways," Lynn continued, "you did everything that I never did when I was your age and I was so caught up in the euphoria of seeing you go farther than me that I…I unknowingly clamped a tight grip on you. I let my insecurity of myself dictate how you should live your life and all because I couldn't see past my own shortcomings."

Despite his self-deprecation, Lynn suddenly let out a hearty laugh and ruffled Lincoln's hair.

"I should've guessed that you would've wanted to do this, what with all those Pokémon tournament battles you'd love to act out in your room when you thought no one was watching you."

"Daaaaaaaaaad," Lincoln whined half-heartedly as his face flushed lightly.

He got over doing that when he was seven and Lincoln thought that he had been discrete the whole time. Apparently, he wasn't discrete enough.

"Anyways, son, I want you to know that I'm sorry for getting in your way. You've proven that you're way more capable than me when it comes to making life-changing decisions and I should've trusted your instincts from the beginning instead of hoping that they'd align with my plans for you."

With that, Lynn hugged his son once more, content with everything that played out. His bond with his son was mended and he was now willing to let his son be his own person.

But now, there was only one thing that was left for him to do. If he wanted to prove that he had truly turned over a new leaf, he was going to have to let his little Fletching leave the nest and grow into a proud, mighty Talonflame.

"So, with that being said…" Lynn said, intentionally dragging his words.

"Y-yeah?" Lincoln asked as a tiny kernel of hope took root, sensing that his father was going to tell him something that he would like.

"Both your mother and I talked before I came up here and…"

Lincoln's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Could it be? Was this really happening?

"We both agree that you are more than ready to take up your Kalos expedition and sign up for that Professor Spruce internship."

Instead of belting out a fast stream of expressions of gratitude, like Lynn expected, Lincoln just leapt out of his spot on the bed and clamped onto his father in a tight hug.

"Woah, woah, woah, easy there, ya little Mankey," Lynn laughed as he pried his son off of him to place him back down where he was. "I've got a few conditions for you to keep up with if you're going to go through with this."

Lincoln nodded enthusiastically as he squirmed excitedly about.

"First, you're only leaving home if Professor Spruce accepts you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Lincoln promised dutifully without erasing his big, toothy smile.

"But then again, seeing how smart you are, I doubt that's going to be an issue. Second, I still have concerns about you walking about in a giant continent with only you and Clyde so make sure that you contact us with your Holo Caster and give us updates on what's going on with you. Understand?"

Lincoln gave another "Yes, sir" and waited for his father to give him more demands to keep up with.

"Good. Now then," Lynn said as he leaned a little closer, "third, and most important of all, I want you to give everything that you are to Pokémon training but all the same, once you feel like the thrill is gone, or you've accomplished everything you've wanted out of your journey, come back home and start looking for real work."

"Understood," Lincoln replied. "Thanks, Dad."

"No, son," Lynn corrected as he stood up off the bed, "thank _you_ for being the best son a father could ask for. I love you and I'm proud of you. Never forget that."

Then, Lynn walked towards the door but stopped in front of it to give his son one last look for the evening, one of pride and gratification before bidding his son a goodnight.

"Goodnight, Dad," Lincoln said and sat innocently on the bed as his father left him and closed the door behind him.

Once he thought it was safe, Lincoln hopped up and down on his bed in jubilee, springing into the air with frenetic abandon.

Finally, the haunting worry of his father's rejection had flown past him and beyond that, he wasn't disappointed or angry with him after all.

He didn't have a care in the world now and in return, he hoped that the world would care to continue for that levity for the days ahead.

* * *

 _The Loud Residence. May 30_ _th_ _, 2036. 8:16 AM_

Upon leaving their room to officially start the day, Lola and Lana couldn't quite pretend that things would be normal. They still had the angry words of their brother buzzing about in their heads, as if they were an angry swarm of Beedrill giving chase to prey or intruders that haphazardly wandered into their territory.

They didn't have time to dwell on it, though, as before they could head off downstairs to eat breakfast, Lincoln came strolling out of his room, whistling a merry tune. Lola and Lana turned to each other and exchanged puzzled looks. Just what could Lincoln be so happy about?

Lola, in particular, was a bit peeved at her brother's content state of mind and stopped him in his tracks before he could he could walk any further.

"Oh, hey, Lincoln," Lola said snootily. "You seem awful chipper for someone who's grounded."

"Maybe he found some Cherri berries in the trash like I did a few days ago," Lana suggested with a shrug. "They don't taste bad if they're not rotting."

"Oooooooor…" Lola declared with a hair flip, "maybe he's finally understood how privileged he is to have such a perfect sister like me in his life. I knew he wasn't dumb enough to not come around eventually."

Lincoln glared daggers at Lola, shaking his head at her condescending remark.

"Um…no, Lola," Lincoln said before scrunching up his face in disgust and turning to Lana. "And, ew, definitely not, Lana."

He soon reverted to his happy-go-lucky self as he bent down on one knee to get at the same eye level as his twin sisters.

"Actually, I've got some great news that I wanted to tell you both about! Not only am I not grounded but Mom and Dad are letting me go with Clyde if Professor Spruce accepts my application!"

A huge smile broke out on Lana's face as she leaped forward and wrapped her arms around Lincoln's neck in a tight hug.

"Woah! You mean, you get to become a Pokémon Trainer, after all?!" Lana asked excitedly.

Lincoln returned the hug, scooping Lana up in the air as he replied, "Looks that way to me!"

"Alright!" Lana cheered and laughed giddily when Lincoln started spinning around in circles, chanting at him to go faster and faster as he did so.

The "ride" only lasted for a few seconds, though, as Lincoln put Lana down in favor of turning to Lola. If her giant, toothy grin was any indication, she was just as happy as Lana was but she hadn't said anything to make that sentiment concrete in Lincoln's eyes.

"Aren't you happy for me, Lola?" Lincoln asked as he eyed Lola's stiff, unmoving form.

"I. Am. Very. Happy. For. You," Lola sounded off robotically through the teeth of her static…and to Lincoln's obsservation, somewhat unnerving smile.

Brushing it off as his mind playing games with him, Lincoln just bent down and kissed Lola on the cheek, missing out on the way Lola's right eye twitched as she remained frozen in place.

"Welp, I'm off to get started on that application! See ya 'round, you two!" Lincoln said and turned back to his room to begin working on it.

Once Lincoln was out of sight, Lana was yanked by the collar of her overalls by Lola and dragged towards their room.

"Lola, what are you doing? I wanna eat-"

"Shut it," Lola snapped as she flung her bedroom door opened and pushed Lana inside.

Looking around to make sure that they weren't being followed or spied on, Lola got in her room and shut the door quietly behind her.

What Lincoln had just told her…it couldn't be allowed. Not if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

 _25 minutes later…_

"Can you believe Mom and Dad would do this?!" Lola ranted as she paced back and forth in front of her bed where Lana was laying on while digging a finger through her nose for "gold". "I mean, our irresponsible hooligan of a brother goes wild and yells at our dad and they just let him do what he wants?! This is…this is…"

Lola trailed off when her eyes briefly caught the sight of her clearly uninterested sister picking her nose.

"Lana!"

"Huh?" Lana uttered as she regained her bearings and turned to Lola, her finger still comically wedged in her left nostril.

"Were you listening to a word I've been saying for the past twenty minutes?!" Lola asked indignantly, cringing at Lana's disgusting habit.

"Define 'listening'," Lana retorted and proceeded to continue her booger excavation.

Truthfully, she always listened to Lola, no matter how much of a prissy crybaby Lana thought she could act like while she cast her burdens upon her through her ranting and raving.

However, she only did so when she felt that Lola was being honest with herself and Lana could tell from a glance; Lola was acting completely disingenuous.

"Ugh! You're impossible!" Lola sneered. "Look, the point is, we cannot allow Lincoln to leave!"

"Why not? Aren't you happy for him?" Lana asked, flicking away a tiny glob of dried mucus from out of her nose.

Normally, that would get Lola to gag and lash out, but she was far too engrossed in her tantrum to pay Lana much mind.

"No! Why would I be happy for someone who gets to tell off our dad and be allowed to do what his heart desires?! It's not fair!" Lola complained and stomped her foot down to show her dissatisfaction.

Lana smirked. Not even her foot stamping had any heart to it. She had just about enough of Lola's pretending now. It was time to pull back the curtain on Lola's true feelings and Lana had a good inkling about what they were.

"Hmmmmm, I don't think that's why you're mad," Lana scoffed lightly as she got off the bed to walk over to Lola to stare her down face-to-face. "In fact, I _know_ that's not why you're mad."

Lola spluttered for a moment but fired back quickly with, "Oh, and what's that supposed to mean, huh, Lana?!" and grabbed Lana by the straps of her overalls to tug her closer until their noses touched.

"Easy; you'll miss Lincoln when he's gone."

Lana guffawed when Lola released her and held her cheeks in a useless attempt to hide the blush that was spreading across her face.

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Lola denied as she glared at her amused twin sister. "Why would I miss Lincoln?! H-He's nothing more than-"

"The best brother in the whole, wide world and someone you'll miss after he's left us?" Lana interrupted with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Exactly!" Lola said without thinking.

It took about three seconds for Lola to realize her error and felt her face grow hotter than it already was.

"I-I mean…no, what I meant w-was, I'll…ugh! You're wrong, Lana! You hear me?! Wrooooong!"

Lola charged out the room, leaving Lana behind to chortle in delight at how easily she saw through her sister's act. Once Lola made it to the bathroom, she locked herself inside and leaned against the door. Her mind was racing with Lana's words, the ones that dared to paint the picture of Lola missing the company of, out of all people, Lincoln!

How could Lana be so stupid? What was there to miss about Lincoln? His habit of reading comic books in his underwear? His disgusting love for peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwiches? His hogging of the TV when she wanted to watch her romantic dramas? His meddling when he wouldn't let her train Cliff, to be a proper Pokémon Contest competitor, in peace?

His patience when he helped her with homework that she struggled with? His boo-boo kisses that he'd always give her when she hurt herself? His tender approach when he brushed her hair whenever her mother was too busy? His piggyback rides that made her feel like a queen riding a noble steed?

Lola snapped out of her mulling when she felt moisture running down her cheeks. She rubbed at her face vigorously until those stupid tears were gone.

Even her mind was playing tricks with her! No, she wouldn't miss Lincoln! She wouldn't, she wouldn't, she _wouldn't_!

But all the same, Lola knew that she had to do something. Lana was _clearly_ trying to keep it together with the news of her brother's departure. The poor girl was clearly broken up inside and if _she_ was devastated, she could only imagine how Lily would feel once her brother would leave them all behind to gallivant off into Kalos to do heaven knows what.

It was there and then that she made up her mind on what she was going to do. Lola promised herself that she would do whatever it took to convince Lincoln to stay but she knew it wouldn't be easy. Her first thought was destroying that darn laptop of his but figured that Lincoln would just ask his parents for theirs to use and there was no way she'd go as far as to intentionally destroy her parent's stuff.

Then, another idea roosted in her head and she chuckled wickedly to herself while the idea made itself at home.

Now _there_ was a solution.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Lincoln's room, the white-haired youth had his laptop resting on his lap as he laid in his bed with Cliff curled up next to him.

"Now, let's see here…" Lincoln muttered to himself as he looked upon the empty application that his laptop screen presented to him. He had skimmed through it the night before, taking special note of the aptitude test that was attached at the end of it. He'd deal with that later. The first thing he felt like doing was filling out the general information section.

"'Name'," Lincoln read aloud as his eyes scanned the screen. "Pssh, that's an easy one."

As quick as a flash, Lincoln typed out his name where the application designated it be placed. He looked a bit lower at the next required portion that had yet to be filled in.

"'Date of birth'. Quite the headscratcher, eh, Cliff?" Lincoln chortled as he gave his pet Purugly a quick scratch on the head.

"Puuuuur," the Pokémon mewled contently, loving the brief bit of attention he was getting.

Lincoln chuckled at his reaction and returned to the task at hand.

"Alrighty then, next up is…"

Next up was figuring out where that shift of weight in his bed came from. He closed his laptop, put it off to the side, and looked up to find…

"Lola?"

Lincoln looked on at Lola and felt a nervous sweat coming on. There she was, with that creepy looking grin from earlier. Lincoln didn't pay too much mind to it before but now that he got a good look, he couldn't help but squirm about nervously.

"Hi, Lincoln," Lola greeted with flair. "How is the most amazing brother in the entire known and unknown galaxy doing on this fine Friday morning?"

And now sugary compliments, too? Just where the heck was all of this coming from? Was this all a ploy? A prelude to carnage that she planned to unleash on him? Alarms rang off in Lincoln's head, telling him to get out of there as fast as he could but he couldn't urge his frightened limbs to spur into action.

"Um…fine, I guess," Lincoln timidly answered, swallowing in response to his slightly dry throat.

"That's good, that's good," Lola remarked offhandedly as she pulled off her pink gloves and laid them down beside her.

Then, she sat right in front of Lincoln's bare feet, much to Lincoln's growing confusion.

"Soooooo, I was thinking that your feet must be pretty sore, right? I mean, all that jumping you did, after Dad gave you the news, surely must've done a number on 'em."

Lincoln recalled to the events of last night. After his dad left him, admittedly, he had started jumping around on the bed in pure euphoria. He had done it loud and long enough to get complaints from everyone in the house, especially from Lola.

But his feet weren't feeling sore at all. So, if that was what Lola was concerned about, for whatever reason, he would tell her not to worry about them.

"Well, not really but-"

"Of course, I'm right. Glad you agree," Lola said as she gently grabbed Lincoln's left foot with both hands. "Allow me to soothe you with my delicate touch."

"Lola, I don't think th…"

His protests died, no, _melted_ into a soft sigh the instant the smooth pads of Lola's thumbs pressed into the arch of his foot. Lincoln didn't know why Lola was doing this but as she continued her ministrations, kneading his instep with her palms, he couldn't find any reason to object to this gratifying attention he was treated to.

After a few minutes, Lola finally spoke up as she switched to his right foot.

"Feels great, doesn't it?" she asked with a hint of smug satisfaction in her voice.

" _Yeaaaah_ ," Lincoln sighed when he felt her knuckles pressing into the sole of his foot.

"And it's only something that you can get here at home," Lola remarked. "Remember that, Lincoln."

While her brother looked up at the ceiling, dazed and content at her massage, Lola inwardly chortled at how everything was going according to plan.

It was simple; act nice to Lincoln all day until the bonehead realized how good he had it here at home and forgot all about Professor Spruce and her dumb internship. It was more than he deserved, what with him wanting to leave them behind and all, but she had to press on for Lily and Lana's sake. They (and totally _not_ her) would be crushed without Lincoln in their lives and Lola couldn't live with herself if she couldn't do something to stop him from hurting her sisters for his own selfish pursuits.

After about ten minutes, Lola wrapped up her handiwork and gave Lincoln's foot a soft pat to stir him out of his content stupor. Once their eyes met, Lola said, with a practiced smile, "If you need anything else, dear brother of mine, just let me know."

And with that, Lola shuffled off the bed, taking her gloves with her as she walked out of his room and closed the door behind her.

Lincoln wiggled his treated foot about, mulling over what had just happened. Despite the little tendrils of pleasure that were still floating about in his head, his concern overrode his contentment.

This was completely unlike Lola in every way imaginable. First of all, he figured that the last thing on Earth that she would want to do is give foot rubs, especially after she drew the short straw during their last visit at great-aunt Shirley's house and had to rub her nasty, fungus festering feet for nearly an hour. The poor girl was traumatized well after that and couldn't even look at her own toes without feeling nauseous for at least a month.

Second of all, Lola wasn't usually this…charitable. Oh, she wasn't all bad but Lincoln couldn't describe Lola as altruistic. There had to be a reason behind her actions just now, probably something that Lola wanted from him but didn't want to open up about. If that was true, then Lincoln had to get to the bottom of things as soon as possible.

' _But what could it be? What does she want from me?'_

Deciding to leave that be for now, Lincoln groaned in frustration and picked up his laptop, intent on getting through his application and-

' _Wait a second,'_ Lincoln thought to himself as his face took on a mischievous smile at an idea that came to mind.

Like he had said to himself before, Lola was acting way differently than she normally would. Something had to have caused this strange behavior from her and if it was all an act, like Lincoln thought, then with just enough prodding, he could get her to snap and show her true colors.

With Lincoln's plan all mapped out, he opened up his laptop and got right back to work on his application, all while thinking about what to have Lola do next.

If she really was keen on doing whatever Lincoln wanted for the day, he'd have a field day for the next couple of hours.

* * *

 _That evening…_

Lincoln clicked the "Send" button on the email that had his application attached to it, watching as his ticket to freedom successfully shipped off to Professor Spruce's inbox. He put his laptop back under his bed and smiled. That aptitude test was a lot easier than he thought it'd be. It wasn't really hard at all; the questions were about general Pokémon know-how like the number of different types and the status conditions that they could inflict, stuff that Lincoln learned about in ATPA long ago.

The only peculiar part of the test was the one part that wasn't really like a test at all; the part where he had to give a short-written response, with at least 250 words but less than 500, on what he wanted to gain out of the internship. In the end, he could only say the he wanted to win the Lumiose Conference and defeat the Kalos League Champion. It was the simple truth and Lincoln was happy with his 367-word answer when it was all said and done.

But regardless, he knew that his day couldn't end like this. Not without getting to the bottom of Lola's antics. Although he was happy with the progress he made in getting Lola to crack, sensing that her resolve was slowly chipping away with each request, it still wasn't enough. Getting Lola to make him a peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich didn't work. Asking her to clean his room didn't work, either. Getting her to do his laundry produced dissatisfactory results.

Just what could he do to make her snap? Lola was being especially stubborn, more than she had ever been before. Nothing short of making her stick her face into one of Lily's dirty diapers would…

Hold on…

Oh, yes. That was sure to do the trick.

"Ooooooooooh, Lola?!" Lincoln bellowed, knowing that Lola would come scurrying to his room in no time at all to greet him with a false sunny disposition.

Soon enough, within seconds, Lola raced into his room, needing a few seconds to catch her breath as she leaned over and sucked in much needed air before leaping onto Lincoln's bed, staring at him with her big blue eyes and once again, giving him a dutiful, big grin.

"Yes, Lincoln?"

Lincoln stifled the urge to chuckle. Who did she think she was fooling? Her teeth looked like they were ready to chew into him and tear out his organs one by one and her eyes were glazed with transparent fury.

"I was just wondering, you think you can change Lily for me? Mom wanted me to do it but I'm _faaaaaar_ too busy to take care of that. There's just so many comics I could be reading right now."

He didn't miss the way her eye twitched and knew he had to throw more salt in the wound.

' _Just a little bit further.'_

"Great! I knew you'd understand! Thanks again, Lol-"

"That does it!" Lola yelled at the top of her lungs and Lincoln could swear that her roar caused the entire house to shake. "I can't take another second of this!"

With a mighty leap, Lola tackled Lincoln down and yanked him up the lapels of his shirt until her nose bumped against his. From his vantage point, Lincoln could clearly see the veins in Lola's forehead and neck swelling and her teeth grinding into each other as she bore her fangs at him.

"Who do you think you are, huh?! What makes you think you can just..."

Lincoln braced himself for more of her diatribe but after that last word, she merely dropped her grip on Lincoln and bowed her head, hiding her eyes from him under the shadow of her blonde bangs. Lincoln sat up a bit, trying to get a feel on what was happening by getting a better view of Lola's face.

"Just what, Lola?"

"J-just…" was all she could say and by now, Lincoln realized that her voice was shaky and choked up, almost as if she were trying to hold back from crying.

Just what was it that he did that made her act like this?

"Lola?" Lincoln asked out of concern.

When he didn't get a response, Lincoln reached out a hand to tilt up Lola's head to get a good look at her expression.

"Lola, what's wr-"

His hand was swiftly slapped away as Lola looked back up at him. Lincoln couldn't dwell on the pain in his hand; he was far too busy dwelling on the pain evident on Lola's face. She had the same mad look as before but with a noticeable difference.

Tears. Genuine, angry tears were streaking down her face, running into her makeup, and smearing her skin.

" _You're_ what's wrong, you stupid jerk!" Lola shrieked. "You're my big brother! You're Lana's big brother! You're Lily's big brother! You're supposed to be here!"

Once that loud and unexpected outburst came out, Lincoln could only watch as Lola's lips quivered and throat hiccupped with her soft weeping.

"For Lily, for Lana…f-for _me_."

Despite caution urging him to reconsider, Lincoln reached out and pulled Lola in for a hug, letting her face bury into his chest through the soft fabric of his shirt. He soothingly rubbed her back as the disharmonious sounds of her muffled sobbing tugged at his heartstrings.

"So, that's why you've been acting weird all day," Lincoln uttered quietly in complete understanding. "You've been trying to get me to stay by acting all nice."

All Lola can do is continue her crying.

"Lola, I'm sorry," Lincoln whispered. "I was so caught up with myself to take notice of how you'd feel. You're right, I am your big brother and I'm supposed to be here to look after you."

A beat of silence follows as Lincoln prepares to give her the word that he knows will disappoint her.

"But…"

At that, Lola looks up at Lincoln, her crying reduced to sniffling and whimpering.

"This is something that I really want to do, Lola. And now, I get to go out there and do it. I'll always have you guys forever but opportunities like this don't come around often and I want to take advantage of them when I can."

Preparing for another loud and angry objection, Lincoln is shocked when Lola's puffy eyes begin to water again.

"B-but, Lincoln…"

Lincoln blinks back his own oncoming tears, swallows the lump in his throat, and kisses Lola on the forehead, hoping to put her at some ease.

"I'm always going to be your big brother, Lola. Nothing's going to change that and nothing is going to make me want that to be any different. In fact, no matter what I do with myself, I'll always know that nothing will make me more of a champion than having you, Lana, and Lily as my sisters."

Lincoln was thrilled when Lola finally started to show the tiniest hint of a smile.

"You…you really mean that?" asked Lola.

Lincoln smiled lovingly, "Of course, I do. I love you, Lola. You, Lana, Lily, and our parents and pet Pokémon. The hardest part about leaving will be not seeing you all for a while."

Lola let his words sink in for a good couple of seconds while Lincoln hoped that she wasn't going to make things any more difficult for them both.

"And you promise you're gonna keep in touch while you're gone, right?" Lola questioned.

"Absolutely," Lincoln promised solemnly.

"Every hour?"

"Hmmm…how about every other day of the week."

"Every minute?"

"Lola."

"Every second?"

" _Lola_ ," Lincoln chided playfully, causing Lola to giggle.

"What? It was worth a try, right?" Lola asked with a laugh.

Her infectious laugh was music to Lincoln's ears. He was certain that he had no other similar obligations to deal with since he was sure that Lana was honest when she was happy with him. Now, he could rest easy knowing that he had everyone's blessing.

"You know, Lola, I suppose if I'm gone, there's one good thing that can come out of this," Lincoln said as he picked up Lola and held her close to him.

"Really? Like what?" Lola asked curiously as she stared into Lincoln's eyes.

Suddenly, much to her surprise, he lightly tossed her onto the mattress and loomed over her with mischievous intentions evident in his narrowed eyes and haughty smile.

"You won't have to worry about the tickle monster anymore!"

Lola giggled wildly and curled herself into a ball, knowing what Lincoln meant by that. For the next several minutes, despite her half-hearted, empty protests, Lincoln would tickle her in several different spots that Lola unsuccessfully tried to cover up. Despite not being on the receiving end, Lincoln couldn't help but laugh along with his sister.

"By the way, Lola, there was no dirty diaper to take care of. Your nose is safe for the evening," Lincoln said in between heaving laughs and went back on the assault.

* * *

 _Nine days have passed since that day and now, Lincoln's family waits for him to give them the news of his application._

 _What will be in store for Lincoln? Failure or success?_

* * *

 _The Loud Residence. June 9_ _th_ _, 2036. 8:25 AM_

Much like the night that Lincoln and his father verbally sparred, the living room was chock full of nervous energy as Lana, Lily, Lola, and their parents surround the dining table, waiting upon their son to come down the stairs and give them the news about his application.

While they were all certain that Lincoln would succeed, the feeling of not knowing for certain restricted them from celebrating too early.

Lana chewed her fingernails nervously while Lola fidgeted with the tiara on her head. Even Lily seemed rather jittery as she waited for her brother in silence.

Rita and Lynn held hands in a tight grip as they heard slow creaking, coming from the staircase, grow louder and louder with each passing second until...

Until the sad, weary look of Lincoln Loud's face greets them as he comes into view from his slow descent.

No one made a move to comfort him, knowing that their attempts would be in vain.

His bowed head, his defeated look…even his cowlick seemed to droop in absolute angst.

"Ladies and gentleman," Lincoln sighed heavily…then perked up with a cocky smile and hands on his hips, "you are looking at one of the proud interns of Spruce Labs."

After realizing the dupe that had just been dished out, everyone left out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding and leapt out of their chairs.

"Woohoo!" Lana cried and ran up to Lincoln to hug him tightly around his leg.

"C'mere, son!" Lynn yelled as he marched over to his son and knelt to hug him.

"I'm so proud of my little man!" Rita exclaimed and joined in on the group hug.

Lola casually strolled over to the mass of family members, carrying Lily in her arms and flashed Lincoln a warm smile.

"Of course, you succeeded," Lola said matter-of-factly. "You're _my_ brother, after all. Failure was never in the cards."

Lincoln soaked in the adulation of his family, happy that they could as proud and happy that he was right now. Before long, though, Rita broke out of the hug to face her son directly.

"Oh, Lincoln, that reminds me, I have to show you something. Wait right there."

With a pep in her step, Rita headed into the kitchen. Upon returning ten seconds later, she held at medium-sized package, wrapped in brown paper, under her arm and laid it at the feet of her son.

"What's this?" Lincoln asked as he softly nudged Lana and his father off him so he could pick up the parcel and inspect it.

"Just open it and you'll see," Rita suggested playfully.

Doing as she told, Lincoln tore away at the paper until he saw dark orange peeking through the remaining shreds of paper left. Hastening his hands, Lincoln tore off the last bits of paper until the item was in his grasp.

It was a dark orange outfit, Lincoln could tell that much, but he couldn't quite discern what it was until he draped each piece of it over his arms.

On his left arm was the jacket of a tracksuit. It was a bold, dark orange with three white lines draping down from the shoulders to the cuffs of the sleeves. A tiny silver zipper clasp, that Lincoln realized was in the shape of a Pokéball, fastened the white teeth of the jacket in place. Speaking of the zipper's teeth, they were surrounded by one fat, white line that ran from the bottom of the jacket to the collar.

On his right arm was the pants of the outfit. They had the same orange color as the jacket and three white lines that ran from the hips to the bottom.

Lincoln beamed as he looked up to find his mother looking down at him proudly.

"I ordered it for you a few days ago. It's your very own tracksuit. Thick enough to keep you warm when it's cold but thin enough to keep you cool when it's hot. Hope you like it. If my son's going to become a Pokémon Trainer, he's gonna do it in both comfort and style."

"Thanks, Mom," Lincoln extolled as he gave his tracksuit to his father so he could have his hands free to hug his mother. "You're the best!"

"Don't forget, Lincoln, before you leave tomorrow, you have to make sure that you have all your stuff packed and ready to go," Lynn reminded him.

Lincoln turned to his father with a reassuring smile.

"Actually, Dad, when Professor Spruce sent me her congratulatory email, she told me not to worry about packing. Apparently, she has something in her lab that'll take care of the packing for us."

"Well, if that's the case, I guess I better trust her. Her two Ph.D's tell me that she knows what she's talking about," Lynn joked, earning a few laughs from his wife.

Lincoln broke out of his hug, intent on going to his room now.

"So, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go tell Clyde the news and join you guys for breakfast, okay?"

"That's fine with us," Rita permitted as she patted Lincoln's head. "Just don't forget to join us."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll see you in a-"

"Hold up, Lincoln."

Before Lincoln could race off, he looked down at Lana's disapproving face. Lincoln winced. Had he neglected Lana and not even realized it?

"Something wrong, Lana?" Lincoln asked apprehensively.

"Put on your tracksuit for a second," Lana answered. "I need to see how you look in it."

Oh. That was all? Lincoln could do that. He went into the kitchen and quickly changed out his regular clothes into the new tracksuit. Upon returning, everyone but Lana gazed upon him in awe. Apparently, it was good looking enough to warrant four thumbs up. Now all Lincoln had to do was see why Lana wasn't giving him one herself.

"So, what'd you think?" Lincoln asked as she looked down at Lana's contemplative state.

She hummed thoughtfully as she eyed Lincoln from head to toe and then, from toe to head.

"While you do look cool, well, cooler than usual, I think you're missing something."

"Like what?" Lincoln shrugged.

She resumed her thinking face for a few good seconds until her face lit up and she snapped her fingers together.

"I got it! Lincoln, kneel on the floor, okay?!" Lana demanded excitedly.

"Alright," Lincoln agreed, not seeing the harm.

Once he was on his knees, Lana bounced over to him until her eager face was up close to his.

"Okay, okay! Now, close your eyes!"

Lincoln complied, waiting for Lana's surprise to pass. Lincoln was slightly on his guard as he thought about the possibility of Lana pulling a dirty prank on him. Though, the rational part of his brain told him that Lana only liked to pull those stunts on Lola and even if she didn't, there was no way she'd do that in front of her parents.

Before he could think any further, he felt something fit tightly around his head.

"You can open them now!" he heard Lana cry out.

Upon doing so, the first thing he spotted was Lana…without her hat. Lincoln was taken aback at the sight; he rarely saw Lana without her hat. The girl even wore it to bed and in the shower, for goodness sake!

That's when it hit him like a bag of bricks.

"Lana…Lana your hat. It's...it's-"

"Right on top of your head, right where it belongs," Lana stated proudly with folded arms. "'Course, I had to adjust the back strap so it'd fit you but it works."

"But you never go anywhere without your hat. Why would you give this to me?" Lincoln questioned.

"I already told you, didn't I? You'll look way cooler. And 'sides that, I wanted to give you something that you'll remember me by."

Lincoln wiped away at his eyes with his sleeve when he felt the sting of fresh tears pooling in his pupils.

"T-thanks, Lana," Lincoln said with a slight quivering voice.

He was snapped out his sentimentality when Lana lightly punched him in the arm.

"Hey, don't get all teary-eyed on me," Lana teased. "The only crying should be from all those opponents you beat with your cool Pokémon. Got it?"

Lincoln stood tall and petted the top of Lana's slightly sticky hair, eliciting a cute, gruff giggle.

"Right. Thanks again, Lana."

Lincoln then turned to leave to head to his room, intent on telling Clyde the good news via Holo Caster; by tomorrow, they would be traveling the region of Kalos together!

* * *

 _That evening…_

After putting away his umpteenth _Ace Saavy_ comic book next to his bedroom dresser, Lincoln still couldn't find the lull of sleep within him. He turned off the lamp on his dresser and bemoaned his predicament.

Rereading comic books didn't work. Counting Mareep didn't work. Watching old Lumiose Conference tournament battles on his laptop _really_ didn't help, though Lincoln had to admit that he was really feeding his hyperactive mind more than anything at that point.

Sighing, he laid on his back as he stared up at the ceiling and the fan blowing a cool breeze on his blanketed body.

He was far too excited to sleep. Tomorrow couldn't come any sooner if it was 11:59 PM and that wouldn't happen for at least another two hours. On top of that, according to her email, Professor Spruce wanted to meet him in person at her laboratory by noon, meaning that even if he woke up at his regular time, which was usually around eight to nine in the morning, he'd have to wait _even longer_ until it was time to get started on his journey.

Groaning, he started counting Mareep again until…

"Lincoln?"

He perked up at the sound of his voice being called and realized that a tiny sliver of light, coming from the hallway outside of his room, peeked through the crack that his now unopened door allowed. He turned his lamp back on, wincing at the sudden burst of light that hit his eyes. Once they were adjusted to the lit room, he could clearly see Lola, clad in her pink sleep gown and timidly looking up at him.

"Oh, hey, Lola," Lincoln greeted with a small smile on his face. "What's up?"

"Well, uh, I-I was wondering…" Lola said, utterly flustered for reasons that Lincoln couldn't quite understand.

"Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight? Since you're leaving tomorrow, it'll be a while since I get to see you and I…"

Lola trailed off and rubbed at her arm as she shyly dragged her foot across the floor. Lincoln nearly squealed. He had almost forgotten how cute Lola could be.

Knowing where she was going with this, Lincoln smiled and called out to her.

"I understand. Get in here."

In a flash, Lola ran across the room and leaped his into bed, giggling when she landed on Lincoln and made him cry out. In no time at all, she was underneath his blanket, grabbing onto him like he was the softest, cuddliest Teddiursa plush toy in the world.

"You comfortable?" Lincoln asked while softly stroking his fingers through Lola's flaxen hair, careful not to pull too hard.

"Uh huh," Lola mumbled contently.

"Good. Well, goodni-"

"Hey," called a voice that sounded almost like Lola's but just an octave lower and a tinge gruffer. Lincoln and Lola looked away from each other to where the voice came from and found Lana standing at the doorway, wearing an oversized dark green shirt, something that she always wore to bed.

Lincoln knowingly asked the eldest twin sister, "Lemme me guess, you want in, too, Lana?"

Her exuberant nod of the head was all Lincoln needed to hear before he allowed her access with, "Alright, you can come. There's plenty of room for you, too."

"Awesome!" Lana shouts and leaps into bed in the same manner that Lola did. Just like with Lola, Lincoln was too slow to get out the way of the blonde-haired projectile and had the air knocked out of his lungs when Lana made her ungraceful landing on top of him.

Taking it in stride, Lincoln waits for Lana to wiggle past her slightly agitated sister until she's on the other side of him, clutching onto him the same way Lola was doing.

"Thanks, Lincoln," Lana said with a wide grin.

"Uh, fair warning, Lincoln," Lola spoke out with a haughty sneer on her face. "Lana farts when she sleeps. It's the worst."

"Pssh, you're way worse than I am in the sleep farting department," Lana snaps back, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"I don't even do that!" Lola protested with rosy cheeks.

"Yes, you do!" Lana bantered, gleeful at how she was getting under Lola's skin.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

Lincoln looked back and forth between the bickering twins and chuckled. Though he was sure his nights under the open Kalos sky would be much quieter than this, there was nothing quite like sharing a bed with his younger twin sisters.

He just hoped that they were pulling each other's legs with the sleep farting thing. He didn't need _another_ reason to be kept up at night.

* * *

 _The Loud Residence. June 10_ _th_ _, 2036. 9:30 AM_

' _Tracksuit?'_

Lincoln looks at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and pulls up his tracksuit zipper until it's unquestionably zipped up to its highest point.

' _Check! Hat?'_

Relying on his reflection once more, Lincoln tugs on the flap of the hat resting on his head, satisfied with how securely it's held around his noggin.

' _Check! License?'_

Lincoln stuffs his hand in his left pants pocket and pulls out his trusty black wallet. Upon opening it up, he sees his Pokémon Handler's License securely fastened in its transparent, plastic sleeve. Once done, he puts it back where he found it.

' _Affirmative! Holo Caster?'_

He pats the conspicuous bulge in his right pants pocket, his fingers molding around the telltale shape of his trusty Holo Caster.

' _And there it is! Game face?'_

Lincoln looks back up at the mirror and fashions his mouth into a victorious smile and focuses his stare until his eyes are full to the brim with the determination and vigor that Lincoln found appropriate for a Pokémon Trainer.

' _Aaaaaand check! Alright, Lincoln Loud, you're all set to take Kalos by storm!'_

And with that, Lincoln headed out the bathroom, laser-focused on his objective to meet Professor Spruce in Aquacorde Town and officially begin his Kalos journey. Though he would be happy to help the professor showcase her technology, his primary goal was getting his feet wet in brand new territory, territory that would hopefully lead to the title of the Kalos League Champion when it was all said and done!

As Lincoln headed down the stairs, he stopped when he saw his father standing by the bottom of the staircase. Lincoln waved at him and walked right past him; only to stop when he felt the firm grip of his father's hand grasp his shoulder.

"Lincoln, you do realize that Professor Spruce needed you there by noon, right? It'd take you half an hour to walk from here to Aquacade Town if you had concrete blocks for shoes and you were dragging your feet," Lynn explains with amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, but you never know what'll happen," Lincoln retorted with wide eyes and a huge grin. "I don't wanna be late for even a second."

Lynn simply chuckles and gives his son a pat on the shoulder.

"Well, if you insist, Lincoln, I won't stop you. Just make sure you wait to say goodbye to all of us after you come back and have your stuff packed to leave again, okay?"

"I wouldn't dare do anything else," Lincoln promises. "See you in a bit, Dad."

"See you in a bit," Lynn replies and makes his way up the stairs, leaving his son to stew in excitement.

With that, Lincoln takes a steadying breath to calm his jittery nerves and marches towards the front door, the vague but promising visions of a new and thrilling adventure swirling about in his head.

Once he's at the front door, he grips the knob, turns it, and swings the door open, basking in the Sun's rays that flood him in their radiance.

Even the stars in space beckoned him to take his first steps into the invigorating unknown! What choice did he have now other than to answer their call?

No choice at all and Lincoln Loud wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 _Lincoln Loud is headed out to embark on his Kalos journey, exuberance and giddiness evident in his being as he forges onward to Aquacorde Town to meet his new mentor, Professor Spruce._

 _What surprises await him at Spruce Labs? To find out, don't miss the next chapter of **PokéLoud Journeys!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** I am so, so, so, so, _sooooooooo_ sorry about this huge ol' block of words you just had to sift through. See, the reason I did it all in one go was for the following reasons:

1\. I figured that you didn't want to read several chapters of what's basically the introduction to the story so I put everything in one chapter for the sake of expedience.

2\. I couldn't think of anywhere to divide this content into several worthy chapters to begin with.

3\. After the long road I realized I had ahead of me, I was tempted to just post a fragment of this chapter as the first one and then continue doing so until I got to the end but the thing is, I didn't want to do that because if I did, I'd be tempted to procrastinate. If I'm going to swim out in these open waters, I'd rather throw myself out there instead of gingerly dipping a toe in at a time.

Well, there you have it, folks. First chapter is now out of the way. Don't expect updates to be frequent. This story will require a lot of planning and research, meaning that I can't overlook even the slightest detail before I submit the next chapter.

Grammar and spelling errors, I can live with rectifying, but the last thing I want is continuity errors called out on, especially so deep in the story.

Like, seriously, I will literally cry myself to sleep if that happens.


	2. I Must Profess My Disbelief

**A/N:** First things first, thank you to everyone who's taken the time the read out the first chapter, especially to those who've given their thoughts on the story thus far.

Now then, I'm going to give you a piece of news that could be considered good or bad, depending on how you feel about the subject. What subject? Chapter length. Since I felt that I had a lot to write out to set the story up in the first/introduction chapter, that meant that I had to go the extra mile as far as content was concerned. Since it's still early in the story, that still might be a thing until characters and settings are established enough to where super long chapters aren't necessary anymore. So, for those who appreciated the 20,400+ word length of the last chapter(author notes discounted), this might come off as bad news. For those who couldn't be bothered to remain interested enough to read it out to the very end, without getting bored, this might be good news.

Wherever you land on that spectrum, my hopes remain that you'll be satisfied with the overall direction and pacing that future chapters will hold.

So, with that being said, here is _"Chapter 2: I Must Profess My Disbelief"_.

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _Vaniville Town's Lincoln Loud, an eleven-year old boy with hopes of becoming the Kalos League Champion, has gotten his father's blessing to pursue his dreams after initially resisting his son's plans. After learning that he was personally handpicked as an intern for Professor Spruce, a woman of science who was seeking the aid of upcoming trainers, Lincoln understood that his course for glory never looked brighter._

 _As he heads towards Aquacorde Town to meet the enigmatic professor, his mind abuzz with the grandiose visions of his lifelong ambitions, Lincoln hopes that his new mentor will not disappoint his expectations…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: I Must Profess My Disbelief**

* * *

 _Route 1. June 10th, 2036. 9:41 AM_

Lincoln had always associated Route 1 as a humdrum, dull pathway that connected his hometown of Vaniville Town to Aquacorde Town and nothing more. Anyone as familiar with the route as him would agree. There wasn't much to write home about: a few odd Flying-type Pokémon soaring through the air overhead, a few lakes to catch some Pokémon, grass on either side of the pathway, some small forested areas here and there…it was all mostly standard and expected of a generic route.

But as Lincoln walked steadily towards Aquacorde Town, that was now beginning to come into view, he couldn't help but associate Route 1 as a majestic genesis for himself, for a new life full of promise, adventure, and excitement. Every speck of dust he casually kicked up, as he trundled forward, felt almost…consecrated in a way, glorified as relics that would forever be linked to the beginning of his grand quest.

By this point of his walk, Lincoln was no longer daydreaming about the endgame of his journey, about the Kalos League championship. That buzz had worn off a few minutes ago. Now, as the reality of his meeting came closer and closer to being realized, he couldn't help but think about Professor Spruce, a scientist who was shrouded in mystery.

When Lincoln had stumbled upon her internship advertisement online, at first, he was apprehensive about accepting the offer. Not because it wouldn't give him everything he needed and wanted for his journey but because information surrounding Professor Spruce herself was surprisingly bare. The most Lincoln got out of her profile on the internship page was that she was a graduate of the Lumiose Institute of Technology(LIT), a university that was one of the most prestigious and rigorous in the entire Kalos region, and that she had earned two Ph.D's, one in Biochemistry and one in Engineering.

Though her credentials were surely up to snuff for a professor, Lincoln still couldn't help but feel a bit on guard from all the secrecy that he figured was deliberate on her part. Still, if she was going to provide him with the opportunity to travel Kalos, what business was it of his to snoop about unnecessarily? He wasn't about to bite the hand that would hopefully feed his ambitions and drive towards his goals.

' _Just a few more steps,_ ' Lincoln thought happily as he broke out of his mulling and noticed that Aquacorde Town was very close, about a good thirty seconds away. From here, Lincoln could see the familiar brown cobblestone arch that stood proudly over the entry with a large white sign hanging on the very top by a nail. It read: _**"Water and civilization in harmony"**_.

Lincoln knew enough about the two to know what that meant. On the north border of the town was a large river and in the very center of town was a water fountain. It all called back to how a long time ago, settlers learned to coincide with the naturals springs and streams of water by building Aquacorde Town from the ground up, doing it in a way that allowed people to live in comfort without depriving the waters from flowing naturally.

' _Man, this is gonna be awesome!'_ Lincoln mused excitedly. _'First things first, though, I gotta ask Professor Spruce about the Pokémon she'll give me for my trip. I hope she has a Bagon! I can't wait to evolve it into Salamence so I can…wait. Hold up, Lincoln, Mega Evolution's not allowed in the Lumiose Conference anymore and I barely see people use it on TV anymore because of that. Oh well….oh wait! Maybe she has a Growlithe! That would be the coolest! I could be just like Ace Saavy and-"_

Lincoln froze immediately when he heard high-pitched, blood-curdling shrieking pierce his ears. He jolted into action as he whipped his head around frantically, trying to spot wherever it was that that frightened screaming came from.

As adrenaline coursed through his body, his fight-or-flight system kicking into overdrive, Lincoln jittered about nervously as two sides of his conscience dueled each other over how Lincoln should respond to the plea of distress.

' _It's not your problem, Lincoln. Just keep moving.'_

' _What kind of person doesn't help someone in trouble?'_

' _Some who doesn't want to get killed, that's who! You heard that screaming!'_

' _Which is precisely why you should do something and help!'_

' _Oh, yeah, I'll help, alright. Help myself to a speedy retreat!'_

' _If you don't have the strength to help others in need, how will you protect your own Pokémon?'_

That last thought did the trick. Without thinking of anything else, Lincoln ran off the path to Aquacorde Town towards a nearby forest to his right, where he could've sworn he heard the shrieking coming from.

Another scream rang out, confirming that Lincoln was right on the money as he drew closer to the source.

"Don't worry!" Lincoln shouted out in the open as the trees of the forest got closer and closer. "I'm coming!"

"H-hurry!" a shrill, feminine voice responded from within the forest before she shrieked again.

Although a small fraction of him wanted to turn back and go back the way that he came, Lincoln's body was on auto-pilot at this point, bursting through the forest with ragged, frantic breaths fueling his heroic pursuit. It didn't take long for him to finally reach his target as a particularly giant tree rapidly came into view.

' _Behind that tree! That's where she is!'_

With the tree dead in his sights, Lincoln came to a screeching halt before he could collide with the massive trunk, throwing out his open palms to cushion the blow of what otherwise would've been a fatal accident. With his bearings regained, he jogged around the tree until he was on the other side and came face to face with the situation at hand.

On his right was a woman, pressed desperately against the tree trunk as she shielded her eyes from a Pokémon that was but a few feet away from her. Lincoln didn't have time to get a good look at her as he was more curious to discern the creature that had caused this poor lady to have a panic attack and freak out the way she had been doing.

"P-please h-h-eeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeee," the woman pleaded in a hoarse, hushed voice, her throat choked up and dry from all the screaming she had done.

To Lincoln's surprise(and relief), what had spun this woman into a frenzy happened to be nothing more than something that was usually pretty harmless, if his countless interactions with them were any proof of that.

The Pokémon was no more than two feet tall. Its green abdomen was decorated by black spots resembling a frowny face. A black band encircled the middle of each of its six yellow legs. Red mandibles and a tiny white horn adorned the head and the black eyes with white pupils exuded its emotion.

' _It's just a Spinark,'_ Lincoln thought thankfully. _'And here I thought she ran into an Ursaring or something. Now_ _that_ _would've been bad. Not to worry, lady, I got this.'_

Lincoln had encountered Spinark countless times before in the past, often running into them whenever his family had a camping outing in this very forest. He recalled what his father had taught him about warding off Spinark and reached down on the ground to pick up a few good-sized stones at his feet.

' _All I have to do is break his concentration,'_ Lincoln assured himself. _'They can stay in one spot for days, looking for food. Once I snap him out of hunter mode, he'll be freaked out by all the bombardment of rocks and run off.'_

Shifting one stone into his free hand, Lincoln reeled his arm back and tossed the stone right in front of the Spinark, causing it to jolt up and look at him in surprise. The instant it did, Lincoln hailed more stones at its direction, causing the once agitated Pokémon to turn around and scatter in the complete opposite direction.

"And don't come back!" Lincoln yelled out with bravado, resting his fists on his hips and raising a cocky eyebrow as he did.

He looked at his palms and dusted them off the residual debris that his artillery had left behind.

"Is…is it gone?" he heard the woman ask feebly from behind.

"Yep," Lincoln declared proudly, not turning around to face her. "That Spinark won't be bothering you again."

"Eeeeeeeeeeee!"

The high-pitched squeal, one that Lincoln knew was one of glee and gratitude, prompted him to turn around and face her.

His cocky smirk melted into an agape, stunned "o" and he felt his stomach doing cartwheels as he finally got a good look of the woman he "rescued."

The lady, who Lincoln could tell looked like she was in her late teens, was decked out in a turquoise dress, flared with tiny white frills around the collar, the bottom, and arm sleeves. It was short enough to reveal the long pair of legs that sprouted from underneath but long enough to preserve modesty. Her white lab coat, while an odd accompaniment to the dress in Lincoln's opinion, did nothing to deter him from believing that she was a goddess in the form of a human.

Her feet, which Lincoln swore have walked on clouds before, were secured in a pair of white sandals with turquoise ribbons attached to the strap.

All those features, while beautiful, paled in comparison to the sight that greeted Lincoln's dazed, sparkled eyes as he shifted towards her face.

Even without getting up close, Lincoln could tell her skin was as smooth as baby's bottom. Not even her dried tears, that rested under the prettiest pair of blue eyes he had ever seen, could detract from her beauty. As if to accessorize the package, a curtain of long, flowing pale blonde hair shimmered down her back. Resting on her head was a pair of white sunglasses and red hoop earrings adorned her ears.

And with all of that, what made Lincoln's heart flutter the most was her wide grin, a smile that Lincoln knew could end a war if both sides had good long look. To Lincoln, her teeth shined and sparkled like the prettiest of diamonds ever mined.

Before Lincoln could speak, or at least attempt to vocalize a response that didn't make him sound like a fool, the woman ran up to him and scooped him up in a tight hug, effectively pressing her captive against her body.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-"

Lincoln had tuned out her voice the instant she hugged him as he was far too mesmerized in the pleasant feeling that her grateful embrace was affording him. From up close, he could smell the perfume that soaked in her skin. The aroma was akin to the most beautiful bouquet of flowers ever assembled.

' _So, this what it's liked to be hugged by an angel,'_ Lincoln thought in a daze.

Finally, she released him, letting his shaky feet touch the ground gently.

"So, like, what's your name?" she asked, flipping her hair back over her shoulders as she did.

Lincoln quickly tells the functioning part of his brain to un-paralyze his tongue so he can talk, hopefully without tripping over his words like a drunk mess.

"Lincoln," he replies shyly.

He feels his arms and legs go boneless and his face heat up as she reaches out her hand and runs her fingers through his white locks after taking off his hat, smiling at him with the radiance of the Sun itself.

"What a cute name for a cute little fella…and a brave one, too!"

"I-it was nothing," Lincoln insisted modestly, feeling his blush grow.

She pulls back her hand, put the hat back in place, and looks at Lincoln incredulously.

"Are you kidding?! Spinark are the grossest, ickiest Pokémon, like, ever! The only Pokémon worse than them are Ariados. You're a lifesaver, Lincoln!"

After that, she cleared her throat, as if it were a prelude to an important announcement.

"Anyways, since you introduced yourself, it's only right that I introduce myself to you."

Taking a corner of her dress in each hand, the woman gave a him a small curtsy.

"I'm Leni. It was really nice to meet you like this. Thanks again for being my little hero."

"N-no problem, Leni," Lincoln said, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous, reserved tic.

This was the life! He hadn't even stepped a foot into Aquacorde Town and he already ran into this really pretty, really nice young woman named Leni. He could stand here and talk to her for hours without a care in the world…well, besides the pressing matter of his meeting with Professor Spruce at noon but last he checked, that was hours away! He could afford a few minutes to shoot the breeze.

"Hey, Leni? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can, silly! You just asked two of them!" Leni giggled.

Thinking she was only teasing, Lincoln laughed, earning a confused expression from Leni that he hadn't seen yet.

"Good one, Leni," Lincoln told her after he stopped laughing.

"Good what?" a befuddled Leni inquired.

Lincoln blinked. She hadn't been joking? Then what on Earth could she have been thinking when she made that remark?

"Uh…anyways, back to my question," Lincoln chuckled nervously, not knowing what to make of Leni's comment, "what are you doing all the way out here? People don't usually wander out here unless they want to go camping and you don't exactly look like the camping type by the looks of things."

It was Leni's turn to blush as she poked her forefingers together and tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth nervously.

"Oh well, see, here's the thing," Leni chuckled, "I, uh, kinda got lost."

Lincoln couldn't see what she would be doing out here in the forest all by herself, especially with her fear of Spinark, a Pokémon that populated the area by the dozens.

"Really? Where were you going?" Lincoln asked.

At that, Leni's face brightened as she put on another one of her heart melting smiles.

"A clothing store called _"Tina's Threads"_. It's where my boss likes to get her clothes. I can't blame her, either. Their selection is, like, totes fabulous."

"Is that so?" Lincoln wondered as he completely missed out on the significance of Leni's confession. "Where does your boss work?"

"Spruce Labs."

Lincoln's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Spruce Labs?!"

"Uh huh," Leni responded. "I work there as Professor Spruce's assistant. I've been employed since it first opened. I've even got this really cute lab coat to prove it. See?"

She did a little twirl, causing her lab coat to flutter. Lincoln began to connect the dots in his head. It all made sense now. The lab coat, the clothing store, the fact that she had gotten lost all the way out…

Hold on…what?

"But wait…how could you get lost going to a place that you're clearly familiar with?" Lincoln asked her.

Leni flushed again, clearly embarrassed about having her blunder called out on.

"I've got a really bad habit of getting lost, you see. It happens every so often. But don't worry about it, I'm learning!" she insisted with vigor.

Lincoln groaned in disbelief.

Beautiful? Check. Nice? Check? A bit…scratch that, _a lot_ on the ditzy side? Double check. Oh well, it wasn't as if that made her a bad person.

"I see," Lincoln said. "Well, as it turns out, I'm actually going to Spruce Labs. I'm one of Spruce's new interns."

Leni let out a gasp as she covered her mouth with one hand and pointed at Lincoln with the other.

"Wait, you're _that_ Lincoln?!"

Lincoln confirmed her question with a simple nod.

"Oh yeah, Professor Spruce has been talking about you lately. She's expecting you there by noon so don't be late," Leni playfully chided with a finger wag and a wink.

"I won't, I won't" Lincoln chortled. "Thing is, though, I left home early so I could show up on time."

"Awwwwww, how thoughtless and irresponsible of you!" Leni crooned sweetly. "Professor Spruce was right to pick you!"

' _Doesn't she mean thoughtful and responsible?'_ Lincoln wondered.

Suddenly, Leni perked up, an idea bubbling in her head.

"So, like, I just had this really great idea, Lincoln!"

Lincoln grinned weakly, not liking the thought of a Leni-inspired plan.

"Is that so? And what would that be?"

"The thing is, Professor Spruce is making me do some errands for her and I still have so much to do! If you could help me out by doing them with me, it'll cut the work in half for me and help you by killing time before noon!"

Lincoln had to admit, that sounded like a solid plan. He'd be helping Professor Spruce's assistant and in the process, do something useful while possibly getting in the good graces of the professor herself.

And besides all of that, there wasn't a chance that he could say 'no' to a face like that.

"That's…actually not a bad idea, Leni," Lincoln admitted. "Alright. We can do that."

"Great!" Leni exclaimed and grabbed his hand, making his stomach do that cartwheel thing again that made his entire body tingle.

"Let's go, Lincoln!"

Leni charged forward, only for her to stop suddenly in her tracks as she felt Lincoln's grip on her hand tighten. She looked down at Lincoln curiously and found him staring at her in concern.

"Uhh…better let me lead the way, Leni," Lincoln said, realizing that Leni was headed deeper in the forest instead of towards Aquacorde Town.

' _For both our sakes.'_

* * *

 _And with that, Leni and Lincoln spent the next few hours in Aquacorde Town, adhering to Leni's checklist of objectives as they went from store to store, purchasing the items that Professor Spruce required. Although the duo made good time, thanks_ _entirel_ _y to Lincoln's guidance, Lincoln couldn't help but think that Spruce's items weren't exactly befitting of a sophisticated scientist…_

* * *

 _Aquacorde Town. June 10_ _th_ _, 2036. 11:47 AM. _

Lincoln sighed contently when he sat on the edge of the Aquacorde water fountain, gently dropping the six bags that he had been carrying as he and Leni made their rounds over the last few hours. He hadn't had a chance to sit down and rest his aching arm muscles and feet since their excursion had begun; Leni was far too excited to hit the town, dragging poor Lincoln along as the burden of bags increased with each store they entered.

As he waited for Leni to join him, he thought back to everything that Leni had wanted to buy and couldn't help but think it was all rather peculiar. At first, he thought Leni was mistaken but after checking her list himself, he could tell that she had been on the money since the beginning.

Finally, Leni came into view through the crowd of people that walked past him. She approached him and took a seat next to him, carefully draping the one bag, she bothered to carry, off her shoulder and down on the floor with the others.

He couldn't complain though; he had insisted on doing most of the heavy lifting and the praise he got for his chivalry was well worth it.

"Uh, Leni?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe I'm being a bit too nosy for asking but why exactly does Professor Spruce need you to pick up a kid's meal from _"Nidoking's Kastle"_ , four kid-sized green sweaters, an eyeglasses cleaning kit, peanut butter, Razz Berry jelly, some coloring books, and an Alakazam blanket?"

Leni snorted. "Because she asked me to, silly!"

' _I should've expected that kind of answer,'_ Lincoln grumbled mentally.

Deciding to check on the time, Lincoln pulled out his Holo Caster and turned it on to check the time. Satisfied with what he found, he stuffed it back in his place.

' _11:48 AM. Not too shabby. I should go and get my map that Professor Spruce sent me so I can find her…'_

Lincoln's heart sank.

"Oh no," he said softly.

"Lincoln?" Leni asked concernedly.

Lincoln had completely forgotten the coordinates that Professor Spruce had sent him! He meant to print them off first thing in the morning but he had completely forgotten! How was he going to get to where he needed to go now?!

"Oh no!" Lincoln shouted, getting the attention of a few onlookers as he stood up and began running about in circles.

Leni immediately hopped to her feet and grabbed Lincoln by the shoulders before he could do another lap.

"Lincoln, what's wrong?! Are you sick?! Hungry?!"

When neither of those questions got a reply, Leni looked around, then leaned in surreptitiously.

"Did you pee yourself?" she whispered.

Lincoln recoiled in utter disgust and indignation.

"No, no, and heck no! Leni, I accidentally left Professor Spruce's coordinates to her lab at my house! I won't be able to find it now!"

Leni gave Lincoln a sympathetic look and then laughed as realization dawned on her.

"Don't worry, Lincoln, I can take you there," she offered kindly.

Lincoln's anxiety simmered at Leni's proposal. He knew she meant well but if her habit of getting lost was true, then she'd be as in the dark as him.

"Leni, no offense, but you got lost out in a forest _out_ of town, looking for a clothing store that was _in_ town. I don't think this type of task is up your alley."

Despite doing his best not offend, Leni took objection to his assertion, crossing her arms and glaring at him with puffed cheeks.

"Hey, just because I get lost sometimes doesn't mean that I…"

As quickly as she adopted it, Leni dropped her foul mood, and bounced about excitedly.

"Wait! Lincoln, what did you just say?! Something about an alloy?!"

"Actually, I said 'alley'. Why do you-"

"That's it! I know where Spruce Labs is!"

Quickly picking up her one bag, she gestured for Lincoln to take up his load again.

"Don't worry, Lincoln! I'll lead this time!"

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

' _This can't be it? Can it? Why would a lab be all the way back here?'_ Lincoln wondered desperately.

Here they were, in the back alley between a few buildings that were on the east side of town. The space was cramped, not allowing Lincoln to walk side by side with Leni as he followed closely behind her.

Finally, once they approached the very end, Leni turned to her left and walked toward a blue metal door. There were a few scratches on the paint but to Lincoln's relief, there was a red rectangular sign in the middle of the door, framed by blue wood. On the sign read **"SPRUCE LABS"** in blocky, black lettering. On the door was a numerical pad.

"Here we are!" Leni presented with flair. "Just gimme, like, a second and I'll get us inside. Hold this for me, okay?"

Leni took her one bag and made aim to hand it off to Lincoln.

"Okay, but just give me a second to-"

Lincoln wheezed in exertion as Leni draped the handle of her rather heavy bag over his aching shoulder.

' _Or not.'_

"Hold on, Lincoln, I need to put in the passcode," Leni explained and leaned down to enter the proper code.

Meanwhile, Lincoln did his best not to drift his eyes towards Leni's pert derrière as it swayed from side to side as Leni hummed to herself, completely focused on the keypad.

As if sensing the boy's internal struggle, Leni spoke up in a cheery singsong voice and said, "No peeking, okay?"

"Uh..."

"I can't have you knowing our password before the Professor says it's okay."

"Oh."

' _Dodged a Bullet Seed,'_ Lincoln thought.

At the last press of the keypad, the door unlocked with a _*click*_. With the swing of the door, Leni submerged into the darkness of the unlit room. Lincoln moved cautiously forward, using the light from outside to guide him until he was standing by Leni's side.

Before he could comment on the darkness, Leni walked by him and closed the door, completely enveloping them both under a shroud of complete blackness.

Lincoln swallowed nervously, his sense hyperaware and on high alert. While he wasn't afraid of the dark, being in an unfamiliar place with someone he had just met made him feel a bit uneasy, even if that person was as pretty and kind as Leni.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping rang out and Lincoln let out a surprised squeak and he instantly regretted his completely uncool reaction.

He soon forgot his embarrassment when the lights of the room suddenly turned on, revealing everything that had been tucked away under the dark.

"Woah," was all Lincoln could say as he looked around, gently placing his bags on the ground.

From the looks of things, the lab wasn't very big, only about twice the size of his own bedroom, but that still didn't stop him from being impressed.

To his right was a row of five large metal shelves, stocked with chemicals and machinery that Lincoln couldn't hope to understand even if he tried.

To his left was what appeared to be a workbench with various tools and blueprints scattered about on top of it.

Lincoln looked down and nearly gasped when his reflection looked back at him through the squeaky clean white tiled floor. The professor certainly knew how to keep the place neat and tidy.

"Here, Lincoln," Leni said as she effortlessly picked up each bag, that he put down, by the handle and draped it over her left arm. "I'll be taking those."

Lincoln watched in both amazement and shame at Leni's strength and bemoaned his bad luck; if only he hadn't tried to look cool and suave and let her handle the bag carrying!

"Just give me a second to give these to the professor. She'll be out in a couple of minutes, okay?"

With that, Leni walked towards a door on the far end of the room and used her free hand to open it up and close it behind her. From what a sign had on the door, it appeared as though authorized personnel were the only ones allowed inside.

Lincoln took his time alone to scour the room further, looking about at all the machinery and scientific charts that adorned the walls, as he stood in the middle of the room, soaking everything in at once.

It was happening. It was finally happening; his journey to the Kalos League Championship would start here and it would be done under the watchful and studious eye of someone who was clearly a genius.

"Impeccable timing; the mark of a prudent mind. You made good time."

At the sound of a child-like, monotone voice, accented with a lisp, calling out to him, Lincoln turned towards the direction of the door, that Leni had entered earlier, and found a little girl staring at him behind her large eyeglasses.

She didn't look much older than his twin sisters, Lana and Lola, from the looks of things. An impassive little frown, one not showing any malicious intent or annoyance, rested underneath her tiny nose. Short, shaggy brown hair rested atop her head. Like Leni, she was wearing a white lab coat but one that fit her size. Underneath that was a droopy green turtleneck sweater, one that Lincoln thought looked familiar. To complete the ensemble was a pair of red pants and brown shoes, which squeaked slightly as the girl made her way towards Lincoln, stopping when she was right in front of him.

"Greetings. Welcome to Spruce Labs," the girl greeted stoically.

Suddenly, the green sweater she wore finally made a match in Lincoln's head; it looked identical to the ones to that Leni bought earlier. And the coloring book, the kid's meals, the eyeglasses…

Everything clicked at once. This girl was surely the professor's daughter and Leni was asked to buy things for her. It all made sense to him now.

Kneeling down, Lincoln smiled brightly at the girl.

"Why, hello there," Lincoln addressed cordially, finding the girl to be absolutely adorable. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing? I'm-"

"Lincoln Loud, age eleven, resident of Vaniville Town. Yes, I know everything about you from the application you sent in."

Lincoln flinched. "Wait…how would you know about the application?"

"Why wouldn't I? You sent it to me personally."

"... _what?_ "

"I see," the girl commented dryly. "Well, I suppose I can't feel too agitated at your lack of comprehension in this situation. After all, I was deliberately reticent about revealing my true appearance on my internship advertisement for a reason, a reason such as your baffled stupor and failure to connect the dots at first glance."

Taking off her eyeglasses, she rubbed them with a corner of her lab coat and placed them back on her head, unfazed by Lincoln's perturbed look.

"Allow me to formally and properly introduce myself. I'm Professor Lisa Marie Spruce. From here on out, I will be your mentor for your Pokémon Trainer journey."

Professor Spruce stared back at Lincoln's rigid, unsettled form and only slightly recoiled as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body collapsed on the floor, effectively passing out.

She loomed over Lincoln's unconscious body and shrugged.

"Fainting, huh? I'll take that over immediate derision, I suppose."

* * *

 _30 minutes later…_

Lincoln's eyes began to slowly but surely blink open, his head groggy with lethargy. His eyes hadn't fully adjusted to his surroundings yet, the overhead light from the ceiling partially blinding him. He took a few seconds to take everything he could in and chuckled once he felt he had everything figured out.

"Oh, man, what a weird dream. For a second there, I thought that a little girl was the professor that was gonna look after me. And that blonde lady; she was real pretty but-"

He jerked back in surprise when the same blonde lady, Leni, loomed over him with a small flattered smile on her face.

"Do you really think I'm pretty? That's so sweet of you, Lincoln!"

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Lincoln scooted back frantically until his back was against the nearest wall to him and he nearly passed out again when he realized where he was.

He was still in Spruce Labs and standing a few feet away were Leni and the child that claimed to be Professor Spruce.

"Lincoln, are you ok-" Leni started to say in concern but was cut off from Lincoln's outburst of terror.

"Okay, what the heck is going on here?!"

The professor tugged at Leni's coat, prompting her to look down at her.

"Leni, please excuse us for a moment. I'd like to speak with Lincoln in confidence."

That got Leni to snap out of her motherly consideration for Lincoln and into loyalty to her boss's request.

"Okie dokie!" Leni cheerfully saluted. "You want to me to make you a Razz Berry jelly and peanut butter sandwich for later while I wait for you?"

"Can an Exploud be heard from over six miles away?" Professor Spruce questioned.

"….."

"Yes, Leni. Yes, you may."

Leni left the room with her marching orders, entering to the "employees only" room that Lincoln had seen earlier.

Speaking of Lincoln, though he was no longer hyperventilating, having accepted that this wasn't a dream, he was still unsure on how to process this information into a cognitive scenario.

The little girl didn't give him time to think any longer as she had decided to walk over to Lincoln until she stood in front of his huddled form.

"So what you're telling me is…" Lincoln swallowed, trying to ease the discomfort of his slightly dry throat. "I-Is that you're the Professor Spruce I applied to work under?"

"Affirmative," Professor Spruce answered calmly.

"But that's nuts! You're like…"

Lincoln gave the diminutive scientist a quick look and estimated her age to the best of his abilities.

"Four!"

"Four-and-a-half, thank you," the professor corrected with only a hint of agitation.

"That doesn't make it any less weird!"

Professor Spruce folded her arms and quirked an eyebrow at her incredulous intern.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't under the impression that I was supposed to adhere to your limited sensibilities. My apologies."

That got Lincoln to shrink in his spot, feeling bad for unintentionally berating his mentor so callously.

"Well, I'm sorry but…c'mon, Professor Spruce, you've gotta admit, people like you don't come around very often. You can't blame me for being a little bit…y'know, freaked out."

"Believe me, I'm not incensed. You don't appear to be the type of person that would arrogantly ignore reality because of dissonance to your own expectations. For instance, you at least seem to understand that I am indeed, worthy of being a professor by now, correct?"

Lincoln nodded feebly, still shaken up by this shocking news but no longer unwilling to believe it. How could he _not_ believe it at this point?

"Y-yeah. Believe me, Professor, it's still a bit weird for me but yeah, I can't deny that you're my mentor and I'm just gonna have to deal with it," Lincoln chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Glad to hear," Professor Spruce remarked, approving of Lincoln's admission. "Now then, as you're well aware, I require your assistance so I can-"

"Wait."

Professor Spruce gave Lincoln an impatient, expectant look.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanna know a few things first," Lincoln answered.

"Such as?"

"Well, for starters, I get it; you're a four-year-old-"

"Four-and-a-half."

"Sorry," Lincoln apologized mirthfully. "Like I was saying, I get that you're a four-and-a-half year old super genius that went to LIT, got two Ph.D's, and owns a lab. But…how did all of this happen for you? How are you running your own lab all by yourself?"

The professor took in Lincoln's curious expression and gave him a small smile in response. This was the first time anyone really wanted to know about her. Not even Leni was interested enough to inquire her about her life.

With a sigh, the professor sat down on the floor, cross-legged.

"As my doctorate degrees have surely revealed, my primary fields of interest are in biochemistry and technology. Like most well-meaning scientists, I aim to improve our world through technological advances. In order to pursue my scientific endeavors in a more fitting environment, shortly after I graduated, I began looking for places where I could facilitate my own laboratory, where I could conduct my own research.

After a few weeks of searching on the Internet, I found this formerly abandoned space here in Aquacorde Town. From what I looked up, it used to be a family owned restaurant that got condemned because of several consumer complaints about Ratatta droppings found in the food."

That last tidbit of information caused Lincoln to gag and retch. That was not a visual he needed floating around in his head.

"Yech!"

The professor smirked at his repulsed reaction before continuing.

"Anyways, after contacting the record owner, my parents bought out the space for me for a very small sum of money. It was in pretty bad shape when I first saw it but after some electrical wiring, some cleaning, and… _somewhat_ reliable plumbing, what was once a small time eatery became my new-"

"Wait," Lincoln cut off, shooting Professor Spruce with an apologetic look. "Your parents bought you the space? As in, they allowed their four-and-a-half year old daughter-"

"Well, I was only four when it happened," the professor corrected.

"Anyways, your parents basically let you own your own laboratory out here in Aquacorde Town all by yourself? I take it you grew up in Lumiose City, right? That's like, miles and miles away from here. How on Earth did-"

"Lincoln," the girl retorted sternly, letting him know that she didn't appreciate being interrupted.

Lincoln mumbled an apology, allowing his mentor to have the floor again.

"As you deduced, yes, I grew up in Lumiose City. Like I was saying, they did all of that at my request. As grateful I was to them for raising me and financially supporting my academic career, I knew that my growth as a scientist would be stifled unless I left home and founded my own R&D facility.

With heavy hearts, they understood but in the end, I was only permitted to leave if I had someone to assist me, someone to look after me as I developed my technology. Thankfully, they found a certain blonde caretaker in this very town that could do that."

Leni instantly popped into Lincoln's mind.

"You mean Leni, don't you?" he stated more than asked.

"Indeed, I do. Despite her…let's call them scatterbrained tendencies, she's a hard worker and takes care of whatever task I may need of her without the tiniest complaint. People like her and people like you Lincoln…I have interest in them. You're individuals with something to prove."

Lincoln leaned in closer, captivated by her words and how closely they hit home. He did have something to prove; he wanted to let Kalos know that he was a Champion in the making!

"You see, as you can imagine, entering a highly prestigious university at the tender age of three was not a very welcoming experience. I was immediately shunned by my peers, treated as an outcast and a pariah. They envied me, feared me, openly mocked me…not even my professors would intervene on my behalf; they were too focused tending to their own bleeding egos at my very existence."

Her prior scowl morphed into a somewhat smug grin.

"And in the end, I left them all in the dust. Despite what my age suggested, I was very capable of surpassing them and they would've realized that had they not been so busy labeling me as a fluke.

And then there's Leni; beauty but no brain, right? Wrong. She's one of the most diligent people I've ever known and probably ever will know. It didn't take long for the integrity she had within her to show itself. Most people wouldn't regard her as anything more than exploitable eye candy just like most people wouldn't regard me as anything but a little girl that bit off more than she could chew.

Spruce Labs may be in its infancy stage but my hope is that the two of us can prove the world wrong as we take improve it together. That's my aim; to change the world and defy all expectations and doubts cast upon us. That's what Spruce Labs stands for; giving opportunities to those who can do so much despite being counted out from the beginning.

But don't be mistaken, Lincoln, there's room on this team for you as well. After all, what's a scientist without an intern?"

Lincoln immediately thought back to the credentials that were mandatory for the internship application; the oddest one to him, at the point of discovery, being the one about people with little to no experience in Pokémon training.

Now, it all made sense.

"So…is that why you were looking for inexperienced people? To prove a point? To see the potential in those who haven't had a chance to show it yet?" Lincoln asked.

"Precisely," Professor Spruce affirmed with a smile. "I'm already glad to have you as an intern, Lincoln. You're quite the perceptive one."

Lincoln blushed at the compliment, not used to being praised by anyone other than his friends and family.

But then, he thought back to the fact that he was an intern and at that, Lincoln wondered why, despite it being way past noon, that the other interns were nowhere in sight.

"Um, Professor, speaking of the interns, where are the other two? I know your ad said that there were three spots available. But, it's way past noon and I'm the only one here."

"That's simple," Professor Spruce said with intent to resolve his confusion. "You're the only one who passed my test."

Lincoln reeled back at the revelation.

"Seriously? I'm the only one? How many people applied?"

"Thirty-seven."

The size of Lincoln's eyes grew to saucer plates.

"T-thirty seven?!" he wheezed. "And I'm the only one who passed?! What kind of bad scores did the others get to not even pass?!"

Professor Spruce scrunched her face in bemusement momentarily before her facial features unfurled.

"Scores? You're referring to the multiple-choice question aptitude test? If so, then Lincoln, your overall score was actually one of the lowest I graded."

Lincoln's brain nearly shorted out. Nothing being said made a lick of sense.

" _Huh?_ "

"Most of the applicants scored a perfect score, twenty-six of them to be exact. You, on the other hand, only got twenty-five out of the thirty questions correct."

"Then how did I pass?"

Professor Spruce pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose before chuckling.

"Because the multiple-choice portion wasn't the real test. The short answer section was."

A lull of silence interjected the conversation before a very perplexed Lincoln spoke up.

"Okay, this is starting to make less and less sense as you explain it."

The professor chuckled again. "I know. Believe me, I find your genuinely puzzled expressions to be quite amusing."

She nearly laughed at the exasperated expression Lincoln had on but chose to explain everything instead.

"But to further clarify things, the multiple-choice aptitude test was merely a way for me to discern your recollection of basic Pokémon knowledge, a supplementary evaluation that held no true weight to your success or failure. What really mattered was the short answer part, the part where you would tell me what you wanted to gain out of the internship.

What I was looking for was unbridled passion and genuine desire. Besides your response, all I got was mere sycophancy, people trying to butter me up by writing out what they felt would get them into my program."

She pointed a finger to Lincoln and continued her speech, her words blazed with vigor.

"You, on the other hand, you were different. You were bold and unapologetic. You hardly mentioned how I would benefit from your company; you were too focused on brazenly proclaiming your dreams of becoming the Pokémon League champion of Kalos.

That's what I wanted to see, Lincoln; unabashed determination and you were the only one who produced the goods. I don't need fakers and pretenders, I need people like you, Lincoln Loud. I can tell, you're a diamond in the rough."

Lincoln absorbed everything the professor said and was truly touched at receiving such high marks from someone as brilliant as a professor.

"Wow, I…I don't know what to say, Professor. I'm humbled that you would think so highly of me."

"You ought to start thinking highly of yourself as well, Lincoln. Only then will you obtain what you seek, the glory and thrill of a true Pokémon Champion. That's why, I'm here to help you get started. Wait right there. I'll be right back."

With that, Lincoln stood up as Professor Spruce left him to go into the room that Leni just went. A few seconds later, she emerged from the back, pushing a metal cart with two shelves in the infrastructure. The bottom one had a white sheet over it while the top one had three items on it, each one looking identical to the other.

Said items were three spherical capsules, the top half being red and the bottom half being white. In the middle was a thick, black line that separated the halves and in the middle of the black line was a white circle.

Lincoln's mouth fell open in awe. Could it be?

"A-are those…Pokéballs?" Lincoln asked as he walked towards the middle of the room where Professor Spruce waited on him.

He already knew that they were but being up close to one in the flesh was an experience that Lincoln had, at one point in his life, thought would be too good to be true.

"Why, yes," the professor answered. "Yes, they are, Lincoln, but we'll get into that in a few minutes. But first…"

She pulled back the white sheet, tossing it behind her. Lincoln looked on as Professor Spruce handed him the red device that was hidden behind the sheet. It looked similar to his Holo Caster except the device had a glass screen, bordered by two red ridges, one on top and on the bottom.

"Here you are."

Lincoln looked over the machine, not having any idea about what it was or what it could do.

"What's this?"

"That, Lincoln, is a Pokédex. I've made a few modifications to this one and to the other two that I would've given out to the other applicants, should they have passed like you did. Anyways, with this device, you'll be able to have a better understanding of the Pokémon that you interact with on your journey. Rather than tell you how it works, I'll show you how to utilize it a little later."

Lincoln held onto to the Pokédex in one hand while Professor Spruce handed him the other object that was underneath the sheet, a medium sized briefcase. The design stood out to him the most; it was painted on either side to resemble the Pokéball design.

"This," Professor Spruce explained, "unlike the Pokédex, is my own creation. I haven't come with a working title yet but much like Pokéballs, with this briefcase, you'll be able to store mass quantities of equipment in one convenient travel package."

Lincoln, not fully understanding what she meant, probed at her with a query.

"So…I'll be able to fit anything into this one little briefcase?"

Professor Spruce shook her head.

"Well, no. There are limits. It won't store living beings, first and foremost. Not even Pokémon stored in their Pokéballs will be accepted. Second, it can only store up to a hundred pounds of luggage at a time. Third, let's say that hypothetically, you stored a toothbrush in the briefcase but you also packed other items as well. If you want the toothbrush, you can't fish it out the briefcase selectively. If you open it up, everything that you stored inside will be dumped out as well and you'll have to search through the pile to get what you want. Fortunately, the briefcase won't scatter your luggage about once you trigger the release mechanism, so that last burden shouldn't be too cumbersome."

With that brief but informative explanation given to him, Lincoln was satisfied but more than that, amazed at how something so groundbreaking could've come from anyone's mind, let alone the brain of a four-and-a-half-year-old girl.

"This is the technology that I want you to showcase for me on your journey," she continued. "I'd do it myself but with my work here at the lab, and my part-time job of teaching weekend summer classes at ATPA, my hands are tied. I need the money to make sure that I can supply myself with the materials and equipment needed to complete my inventions."

"I see," Lincoln nodded. "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Nothing extravagant. Simply rise through the ranks of the Pokémon Trainer circuit and soon, word will spread about your exploits. People will be sure to pick up on the aid you have and the rest should take care of itself. Of course, you'll have to work for three people since you're my only intern so make sure that you do well. But, knowing you, I predict you'll find fortune in spades."

At the professor's gesticulation, Lincoln handed her back the briefcase so she could store it back in place. She then walked to the other side of the room, where a tall wooden footstool rested in the corner. She dragged it back to her spot near the cart and shimmied to the top until she was at level with the cart's top shelf.

"Now, with that out of the way, I'll show you the Pokéballs now and more importantly, the options that you'll have to choose from as your first ever Pokémon."

Lincoln squealed with giddy. His first ever Pokémon! He may have only had three options to choose from but even so, he couldn't wait to decide on which one he'd choose.

' _Although,_ ' Lincoln thought _, 'if I'm the only intern…'_

"Hold up…if I'm the only intern, can't I just have all three of them?" Lincoln asked hopefully.

He felt a twinge of disappointment when the professor shook her head.

"You never know when another special individual might show up at my doorstep," Professor Spruce justified, "ready to heed the call of Spruce Labs. I'll need the other two under my ownership should that happen."

She then gave him a teasing smile, one that seemed to question his sense of daring.

"Besides, where's the challenge in that?"

Lincoln had to agree with her once her sentiments were said and done; it would be more challenging having only one option to start with. And besides, he was sure to encounter a whole bunch of interesting Pokémon on his journey, Pokémon that he'd _earn_ the right to have on his team. That seemed much more satisfying than having half his team filled out from a handout.

"Now, hold out your Pokédex. It's time to show you how it works," the Professor Spruce ordered and grabbed the Pokéball on Lincoln's right.

Just as she instructed, Lincoln held out the Pokédex towards the spot on the floor in front of him, where he saw that the professor had "aimed" with the Pokéball in hand.

With the press of the white button in the middle of the Pokéball, it increased in size and it opened up once it was thrown on the ground, right at Lincoln's feet. A red beam of light shot out, lighting up the ground where she "aimed". As quickly as it came, the energy beam dissipated, revealing the Pokémon stored within. The now empty Pokéball recoiled off the floor and into Professor Spruce's open hand.

Lincoln gasped at the creature that stood before him as it hopped up and down excitedly.

The Pokémon was a quadrupled creature with light blue skin, white hands, an oval-shaped head, and a dark blue stripe that ran between its two vertically protruding eyes, which had yellow sclera, black irses, and white pupils. Its most prominent features were the tiny white bubbles exuded from its body, which made a makeshift mane around its chest and back. Finally, two symmetrical bubbles rested on its nose.

"Frooookie!" the Pokémon exclaimed and for the umpteenth time that day, Lincoln's eyes widened.

"Woah! I don't think I've ever seen that Pokémon before! What is it?!"

"Let the Pokédex show you," Professor Spruce instructed. "First, take the red borders and carefully pull them apart until they click into place."

Lincoln did so and as soon as the borders were pulled to its absolute threshold, the glass screen brightened in a blue, translucent hue.

"Next, aim the screen at the Pokémon in front of you."

Lincoln aligned the screen as best he could until the Pokémon was perfectly within the shot.

"Okay, now what?"

"Now, press the "Scan" button at the bottom of the touchscreen."

Lincoln's eyes followed where the professor had told him and sure enough, a tiny white circle was there, waiting for him to push. Once doing so, the Pokédex flared to life as a few mechanical beeps rang out as the screen began showing stats on the analyzed Pokémon.

" _ **Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon,"**_ a deep, masculine computerized voice spoke. _**"Able to secrete flexible bubbles from the neck and chest area, it can reduce damage from incoming attacks. Despite its easygoing disposition, Froakie is always vigilant of its surroundings.**_

 _ **This Froakie is a male."**_

"Awesome," Lincoln said, both in awe at the Pokémon and at the Pokédex."

"That's not all it'll be able to do," Professor Spruce told him, "but for now, we'll move on to the other two."

Taking the Pokéball in the middle, Professor Spruce did the same thing as before and released the Pokémon next to the hopping Froakie's right.

The red beam unveiled a Pokémon that, unlike Froakie, was bipedal. It had a light-brown front with three dark brown triangular markings on its face, as well as arms with the same color. There was also a green shell that covered its head, back, and extended to halfway down the tail, which had a reddish orange tip. Only a tiny off-center hole, in the back of the Pokémon's head, exposed what otherwise would've been shell-covered skin. The shell also had four-leaf like spikes, with another one split into three parts at the back of the head. Its eyes were brown, it had a triangular red nose, long, white incisors. Finally, its arms had three fingers while the feet had two long, protruding claws each.

"Chespiiiin!" the Pokémon cried out as it waved at Lincoln.

Like before, Lincoln had no idea what this Pokémon was but rather than be in the dark about, he aimed his Pokédex at it, intent on discovering what it was.

With a push of the "Scan" button, the machine got to work analyzing the subject.

" _ **Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Its usually soft head quills can flex and harden to the point where they can pierce through solid rock. It has been proven that Chespin's thick shell covering, on its back and head, can protect this Pokémon from the force of a colliding truck.**_

 _ **This Chespin is a male."**_

' _Okay, now that is way too cool! Maybe I should go with Chespin!'_

"And finally," Professor Spruce announced, grabbing the final Pokéball and releasing the new Pokémon to Chespin's right.

Lincoln nearly swooned at the sight of the unveiled Pokémon; it looked rather cute as it stared at him with its friendly, inviting stare. Unlike the other two Pokémon, this one didn't say anything to Lincoln.

It had a quadruped body covered in pale yellow fur that was longer on the haunches. Tufts of dark orange fur sprouted out from the ears and a white muzzle with longer fur on the cheeks. It had large, dark orange eyes, and a pointed, black nose. Its slim legs revealed no toes between the paws. Finally, a fluffy tail with an orange tip extended from the backside.

For the final time, Lincoln used his Pokédex for immediate analysis.

" _ **Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. It eats twigs for nourishment and energy. Its ears allow for air, hotter than three hundred ninety degrees Fahrenheit, to vent. To intimidate its foes, Fennekin will steam out hot air from its ears.**_

 _ **This Fennekin is a female."**_

' _The only girl of the group, huh? Interesting.'_

He slid the Pokédex back to is default mode, looked up at Professor Spruce, and handed off the device to her so she could put it on the top cart shelf.

"Okay, Lincoln, now it's time to make your selection. Which Pokémon will you choose to be your partner on your journey? Choose wisely."

Lincoln took a good, long hard look between the three Pokémon and carefully thought of an imaginary scenario where he would have each Pokémon by his side into battle. That made things more difficult for him, if anything. He didn't have a type preference, unlike Lola, who loved Fairy-types and Lana, who was attached with either Rock or Ground-types.

At the thought of his twin sisters, Lincoln's thoughts drifted back home, his parents, and everything that he would leave behind.

Everything; including…

' _My Ace Saavy comic books,'_ Lincoln mulled with an inward smile.

This was it. The choice was clear to him now.

"I've made my decision," Lincoln declared proudly. "But Professor, can you do me a favor first?"

He walked past the three Pokémon and whispered something into Professor Spruce's ear, causing the girl to hum in agreement and nod.

"That's rather…thoughtful of you. Very well, Lincoln. I'll allow it."

With that, the professor took two of the Pokéballs from the cart and grabbed one in each hand. She aimed at two of the Pokémon on the floor and pressed the white button, releasing the red beam of energy and enveloping them within their respective beams. And just like that, they were back in their respective Pokéballs.

Lincoln took the empty Pokéball on the cart and gave a grateful nod at the professor.

"Thanks, Professor. I didn't want to hurt their feelings by not choosing them to their faces. But I'm sure someone will come along and pick 'em."

He then turned to the only remaining Pokémon left, smiling from ear to ear as his choice grinned back at him. He knelt down and petted it on the head.

"But for now, I've got a new friend of my own. Right, Fennekin?"

"Feeeennekin!" the Pokémon yelped in elation, wagging its tail about as Lincoln looked on satisfied.

' _I mean, Ace Saavy had an Arcanine so I guess getting my own Fire-type Pokémon isn't such a bad thing, even if it is kinda unoriginal to do it because he had one. But I'm gonna outdo him by raising her to be cooler than that Arcanine,"_ Lincoln thought, appeased at his reasoning.

Lincoln looked down at Fennekin, who was now running around in circles and jumping in the air with joy.

"Alright, Fennekin," Lincoln called out to her, "you ready to come along with me on the Pokémon journey of a lifetime?"

Fennekin stopped in its tracks and nodded excitedly.

"Atta girl! That's what I wanna see! But for now, let's get you in your cozy Pokéball."

Lincoln posed with his arm stretched out and the Pokéball firmly in his grasp, pointing towards the waiting Fennekin.

"Fennekin, return!" Lincoln shouted theatrically, pressing down on the white button and watching as his Fennekin disappeared in a beam of red energy, which returned towards the middle of the capsule.

Professor Spruce snickered. "You know, you don't _have_ to say 'return' in order for it to work."

Unabashed, Lincoln informed her, "I know but I've always wanted to say that!"

Lincoln then stuffed the now shrunken Pokéball in one of the front pockets of his tracksuit. Although there was a sense of completion, Lincoln felt like the professor wasn't done with him just yet.

"Anyways, is there anything else that you need to show me?" Lincoln asked.

Professor Spruce nodded and pointed to Lincoln's Pokédex on the cart.

"Well, first, I want to show off the Pokédex modulations I fixed in. Next, I'll have to debrief you on your new briefcase. I'll need to instruct you on the release and capture mechanism. After that, I'll give you a map of the Kalos region and give you the rundown on how to operate it. As an act of kindness, I've marked all the Gyms in the region for your convenience.

If you want to be the Champion, you'll have to enter the Lumiose Conference and win in order to challenge him, after defeating the Elite Four, of course. You do know this, yes?"

"Of course," Lincoln replied, having known the ins and outs of the Lumiose Conference like the back of his hand.

"Well, if you want to register for the Lumiose Conference, I recommend you challenge all eight Kalos gyms and earn the badge from each one by defeating their respective leader. You don't need the badges to get into the Lumiose Conference but those who register with eight badges get a guaranteed spot in the tournament."

Lincoln hummed in thought. He never really gave the Kalos Gyms much thought, especially since he knew that he didn't have to get all eight badges to get in, but if the professor gave him that suggestion, he wasn't about to turn it down.

Besides, it would be great experience for his ultimate goal. What could possibly the harm?

"I haven't even thought about the Gyms until now," Lincoln admitted sheepishly. "That's a good idea, Professor. I'll challenge the Gyms, get all the badges, earn my spot in the Lumiose Conference, win that, defeat the Elite Four, and finally, dethrone Hugh himself!"

The girl gave Lincoln a small smile and joked, "That sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you but considering that the next Lumiose Conference is coming up in a matter of a few weeks, how about you try waiting until next year's?"

"Oh yeah, definitely! I'd get creamed if I entered at this point!" Lincoln laughed, prompting the professor to do the same.

They laughed for a few seconds but then, the sound of stomach growling interrupted the merriment. Lincoln immediately grabbed his stomach, slightly embarrassed and flashing the professor a mortified grin.

"Whoops," Lincoln chuckled, "I forgot, I was so eager to get to the lab that I left home hours before I was supposed to meet you here. I even skipped breakfast."

Professor Spruce shook her head in bantering admonishment.

"Not to worry," she assured him, "I have just the solution."

Looking towards the authorized personnel door, Professor Spruce cupped her hands around her mouth and called out loudly, "Oh, Leni?"

Instantly, the door opened and Leni's head popped out from the other side.

"Yes, Professor?" she chirped.

"Would you mind making another Razz Berry jelly and peanut butter sandwich for Lincoln? He requires sustenance."

Leni's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and her mouth made a bewildered frown.

"Sustenance? What the heck is that? I thought he required a sandwich."

Slowly, the professor and Lincoln looked towards one another and burst out laughing. Leni looked between the both of them and only got more confused on the joke she was missing out on.

"What? What's so funny?"

* * *

 _And so, after making sure that her pupil received his "sustenance", Professor Spruce put Lincoln's mind through its paces, divulging him with the necessary information behind all the technological aid that would be assisting him on his journey._

 _With his crash course completed, Lincoln takes his first Pokémon, Fennekin, and his briefcase, full of his new gadgets, and aims to head back home to say goodbye to his family before leaving with Clyde at his side._

* * *

 _Aquacorde Town. June 10_ _th_ _, 2036. 3:23 PM._

Professor Spruce, Leni, and Lincoln all stood by the entry of Aquacorde Town, chatting amongst themselves about the day they spent together. Much to Lincoln's shame, Leni had told Professor Spruce about how kind and noble Lincoln had been to her all day, prompting the professor to sneak knowing glances in Lincoln's direction as Leni told her tale.

By the time their small talk was finished, Lincoln was ready to head home. Gripping the handle of his briefcase in one hand and feeling to see if his Pokéball was safely in his tracksuit pocket with the other, Lincoln gave the Spruce Labs duo his final words of gratitude.

"Thanks for everything, Professor Spruce. And you too, Leni," Lincoln told them both.

"It was no trouble at all," the professor said, "but don't forget that you still need to register for the Pokémon League. That can be taken care of in the Pokémon Center here in Aquacorde Town."

"Will do," Lincoln agreed with a nod. "I'll make sure to take care of that when I come back through here later today."

"Also, remember to make sure that you get yourself a belt that will equip Pokéballs onto it. It's standard Trainer protocol and practice to have it at the ready."

"Yes, Professor."

"And do you remember everything I taught you about your map, the briefcase, and the Pokédex?"

"Yes, Professor."

With her stare fully impassioned, the first time that Lincoln had seen from her all day, the professor asked Lincoln, "And most importantly, Lincoln, are you going to rise to the challenge that the beaten path of Pokémon training will present to you, never giving up no matter what ordeal or trial tries to hold you down?"

With his fist thrust in the air and his face etched with determination, Lincoln boldly answered back, "Yes, Professor!"

Professor Spruce gave him a thumbs-up while Leni clapped excitedly at his theatrics.

"Good. Now remember, if you need anything else from me, don't forget to call either Leni or I on your Holo Caster. Now that you have our contact information, it should be a simple task, indeed."

Lincoln waved at them both as he turned around to start heading home. Before he did, though, he turned back to them, smiling all the while.

"Well, goodbye. I'll make sure to stay in touch like you said."

And with that, Lincoln began heading for home disappearing from the sight of Leni and Professor Spruce with each step he took. Professor Spruce looked on proudly at her new intern, knowing full well that Lincoln was on his path to greatness. She didn't need her scientific prowess to know; all she needed to do was look at his heart.

Her mulling was broken when she heard sniffling. She looked up and saw Leni comically bawling her eyes out.

"Something wrong, Leni?" Professor Spruce asked, knowing that Leni wasn't truly distressed.

Leni shook her head. "N-no it's just…"

Leni took out a tissue from her lab coat and blew her nose.

"They grow up so fast, don't they? Already leaving the nest and on his way to becoming a man. I remember how we first met like it was yesterday."

Professor Spruce smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Which would be impossible, considering that you met him _today_ …less than twelve hours ago."

* * *

Lincoln's mind was abuzz with visions of glory once more. This time, however, each one was filled with his Fennekin by his side, literally and figuratively burning down every obstacle that came in her way.

Lincoln stuffed his hand in the tracksuit pocket, where the Pokéball was tucked away, and curled his fingers protectively around it.

' _Thank you for believing in me, Fennekin. I promise I won't let you down.'_

Somehow, someway, Lincoln knew that Fennekin heard him, even from inside her Pokéball. Leaving it at that, he took his hand away and decided to sprint for home instead, along the now consecrated path of Route 1. He had so much to tell everyone back at home.

' _I promise.'_

* * *

 _A new Pokémon by his side! A new friend to encourage him! A new ally to secure the course towards glory!_

 _Lincoln Loud has found all three of these things in Fennekin, the fiery female Fox Pokémon! As Lincoln heads home to bid farewell to his loved ones, what will become of the bond of his family as he goes to part ways with them? And how has Clyde prepared for his own expedition?_

 _These questions will be answered in the next chapter of_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys!**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh yeah, you heard me. Mega Evolution isn't going to be a huge factor in this story. Why? Well, because like I mentioned in the Q&A, Pokémon battles in the anime aren't as cut and dry as they are in the games, meaning that they have way more creative freedom to make battles interesting. If type advantage makes the outcome of a battle set in stone, Mega Evolution makes it even more so. I just can't break my suspension of disbelief into thinking that regular Pokémon can beat a Mega Evolved one so I'm not even going to bother trying to. Plus, I'd like to think that this opens the possibilities of more unpopular Pokémon to take the main stage than relying on the "usual suspects".

Also, I struggled a bit when I thought about what the Pokédex should reveal on first glance. I ultimately decided on the standard Pokédex entry along with gender. I mean, it'd be kind of awkward for Lincoln to know about the moves and ability of an opponent's Pokémon that he scanned, right?

Anyways, with that out the way, thanks for reading everyone!

'Til next time!


	3. A Vaniville Valediction

**A/N:** Well, it's safe to say that Fennekin wasn't the most popular choice, was she? xD

And you know what? I like that. Like I said in my last **A/N** , I want to feature Pokémon that aren't the "usual suspects". Sure, they'll have a place in this story, too, but it won't be at the expense of diversity and unconventional choices that readers don't often see or appreciate.

On another subject, I would've had this chapter up sooner but…well, y'know, had some other stuff to deal with. Sorry 'bout that.

With not a lot else to say, I say that it's time to commence with _"Chapter 3: A Vaniville Valediction"_. What'd you guys think?

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _Lincoln was shocked to learn that his mentor, Professor Lisa Spruce, was a four(and-a-half)-year-old girl genius and inventor. Her blonde bombshell of an assistant, the well-meaning but scatterbrained Leni, did nothing to ease the boy into this startling yet astounding revelation._

 _Once the "proper" introductions were over, the professor gave Lincoln the rundown on what her new gadgets, including a briefcase that operates similarly to a Pokéball and his own Pokédex, would do for him for his Kalos-wide expedition._

 _More importantly, Lincoln chose his first ever Pokémon to accompany him; Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. With the professor's lecture now over, Lincoln departs from the Spruce Labs duo to join his family back in Vaniville Town before he leaves them behind for his journey with Clyde…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: A Vaniville Valediction**

* * *

 _Vaniville Town. June 10th, 2036. 3:41 PM._

Lincoln made it back to Vaniville Town in record time, a feat accomplished from him not dawdling about and taking in the scenery on Route 1 as he did when he left home in the morning. He was far too anxious to see his family again, knowing full well that it would be the last time that he would be surrounded by his loved ones for a while. Besides that, there was simply so much about his day that he wanted to share with everyone. For starters, he knew that everyone would flip when he recounted just how young Professor Spruce really was.

As he approached the front door to his house, Lincoln felt his Pokéball, containing his beloved Fennekin, slipping out of his tracksuit pocket, and he quickly thrust it back in securely with the hand that wasn't holding onto his new briefcase.

' _That was close. I really need to get that Pokéball belt. Maybe the Pokémon Center in Aquacorde Town has some available.'_

Once he was at the door, he knocked on it several times and waited for someone to answer. Eventually, the door opened and he found his mother on the other side, smiling down at him with her usual brand of maternal warmth.

"Hey, Mom," Lincoln said, predicting an imminent kiss on the forehead that he'd usually get from her whenever she greeted him at the front door.

"Hi, sweetheart," Rita replied, doing just as Lincoln foresaw. "Did you enjoy your time at Professor Spruce's?"

"Well…let's just say that it was a pretty interesting experience."

"Oh, really?" Lincoln heard his father question from the living room, which he confirmed by looking past his mother to find him on the couch watching TV. "Interesting enough to talk about over dinner with your favorite meal, grilled blue-striped Basculin?"

Lincoln nearly salivated at the thought. Normally, he'd find Basculin, especially the blue-striped variant, to be appetizing enough on its own but because he hadn't had much to eat all day, the prospect of sinking his teeth into the salty, tender, almost fluffy meat of his favorite meal sent him to the moon and back at the speed of light.

"Heck yeah, it is! Thanks, Dad!"

"Don't mention it. If my son's gonna be the Champion of Kalos, it's only fitting that he eats like a champion."

"By the way, Lincoln," Rita interjected, looking down at the briefcase that Lincoln was clutching onto. "I almost forgot to ask you but what's with that snazzy looking briefcase you've got there?"

"Oh, this?" Lincoln asked, slightly raising up the briefcase a bit. "This, Mom, is a-"

"Hey, Lola?! Lincoln's back!"

Everyone turned their attention towards the top of the staircase, where they heard the enthusiastic rasp of Lana loudly ringing out. Sure enough, there she was, looking down at Lincoln with a huge grin plastered on her face and her eyes gleaming with anticipatory energy.

"He is?!" Lola shouted faintly from upstairs. A thunder pair of footsteps announced her upcoming arrival and once she stood by Lana and looked down at where Lincoln was, her face adopted her older twin sister's look. They simultaneously barreled down the stairs without a care in the world, intent on satisfying their curiosity. They sped past their parents and with a leap, jumped towards Lincoln and latched onto a leg that wasn't occupied by the other twin.

"So, what kind of Pokémon did you get?!" Lana asked.

"Is it cute?!" Lola wondered.

"Is it really strong?!"

"Is it cute?!"

"Is it really cool looking?!"

"Is it cute?!"

"Can it fly?!"

"Is it cute?!"

Before the pair could continue with their interrogation, Rita gently pried them off Lincoln and placed them on the floor, paying to mind to their pouting faces.

"Lincoln will be happy to explain everything at dinner. You don't have to pounce him to get answers out of him," Rita admonished with a small smile, knowing that the girls meant no harm.

"Okaaaaaaay," the twins bemoaned at the same time.

"Now then, Lincoln, you were telling us about your briefcase, yes?"

Lincoln paused before he could begin his story about the briefcase, wondering if it was the right approach. From what Professor Spruce had instructed him with, the process of operating his briefcase would be longer than he thought that Lola and Lana would have patience for if he explained everything in full detail.

"Well, actually, rather than tell you about it, I think it'd be cooler if I showed you how it works," Lincoln decided.

' _How it works?_ ' Lynn thought. ' _It's just a briefcase. What's more to it than a normal one?'_

"Sure, Lincoln," Lynn answered, "but what exactly do you want to do with it?"

"Well, did you manage to get all most of my stuff ready for my journey?" Lincoln asked him.

"As a matter of fact, we did. We got everything you need already stacked in your bedroom. Clothes, some toiletries, your camping tent, your fishing rod, some pillows, some sheets, your Buneary do-"

"N-not that I'll be needing it, of course!" Lincoln objected with aplomb and a bright red face, causing everyone to snicker to themselves, knowing that Lincoln was trying to put on a useless façade of "manliness" since they all knew how much Bun-Bun meant to him.

"So, uh, anyways, just…y'know, follow me and I'll show you how it works," Lincoln fumbled out quietly as he tried his best to avoid their knowing smirks as he walked passed them up his room.

As he ascended the stairs, Lincoln thought back to what the Professor had taught him and prayed that he didn't need to call her to refresh his memory, given that she expected him to commit every step to memory…

* * *

" _Alright, Lincoln," Professor Spruce announced as she stood some feet away from Lincoln, "now I must ask that you pay very close attention to how this briefcase operates. It's mandatory that you not miss a single detail due to inattentiveness."_

 _Lincoln looked down the briefcase in his hands, then looked up at the Professor to give her a confirming nod. With that, she continued with the lecture._

" _First of all, it's locked under a strong magnetic bond, which will only unfasten through the input a six-digit passcode. In order to ready it for use, you must input the passcode correctly. Any attempts to unseal the briefcase through conventional but erroneous methods, such as prying it open with brute force, or any incorrect passcode inputs, will result in the briefcase veering into self-defense mode. From that point onwards, any further tampering or incorrect passcode inputs will result in the briefcase administering a non-lethal but very painful electrical shock to anyone within a five-foot radius. The briefcase will only switch back to its default setting after thirty minutes have passed since its last failed breach or if the proper passcode is implemented. Therefore, it is important that you not only remember that passcode but that you let no one fiddle about with it carelessly. Is that understood?"_

 _Lincoln took all the information in with awe. He was no longer surprised that this four-and-a-half-year-old could invent such mechanical marvels but hearing about the consequences of failure made him slightly uneasy. He really didn't like the idea of getting shocked, nor did he like the thought of someone else getting hurt because of his inattentiveness._

" _Yes, Professor. I got all of that."_

" _Excellent. Now, we can begin with the passcode input. If you look underneath the handle, you will discover the electronic keypad. Use that to enter the following passcode..."_

 _Lincoln flipped the briefcase around until the keypad was showing, right underneath the handle as she said it would be. It was smaller than the one on Spruce Labs' front door but thankfully, it looked big enough for his fingers to press against without overlapping the buttons._

" _7…"_

 _In a flash, Lincoln pressed down on the "7"._

" _7…"_

 _He did so again._

" _3…"_

 _Lincoln obeyed the command without a hitch._

" _0…"_

 _An apt number that equaled the difficulty that Lincoln had with following along._

" _1…"_

" _1" was pressed in the blink of an eye._

" _4."_

 _With that, the passcode was entered in full._

" _I'll have you practice entering that passcode over and over until it's committed to memory entirely. It's important not to rely on any tangible reminders because anyone will be able to discover the passcode themselves. If you forget what it is, contact me and I'll both remind you what it is and scold you for being so improvidently heedless."_

 _Lincoln let out a nervous chuckle, trying to save face despite how much the idea of getting Professor Spruce angry with him unnerved him._

" _Heh. Sure thing, Professor."_

" _Now then, look at the left side of the briefcase."_

 _Upon doing so, Lincoln found a blue fixture attached to the side._

" _See that blue sliding switch?" She continued once Lincoln nodded. "Point the briefcase at the bottom of that shelf of chemicals behind you. Make sure the handle side is the side doing the pointing."_

 _Lincoln followed along without hesitation but all the same, wondered how this briefcase was going to work._

" _Now, push up that switch until you hear it click."_

" _Okay," Lincoln said and pushed up on the switch with the thumb of his hand until a resounding click signaled his success. Once he did so, he looked down on the floor and saw that the shelf's bottom was sheathed underneath a circular red glow of light._

" _Now what?"_

" _Now, upon seeing the blue switch again, you'll see that its returned to its preselected state. Now, instead of pushing it up towards the top again, I want you to slide that switch about until the red spotlight completely envelops the shelf but nothing else."_

 _Lincoln returned his thumb back to the switch and slowly but surely slid it up and down, noting how the spotlight receded and expanded in response to his ministrations. Finally, he felt that the spotlight was at an adequate radius. He looked up at Professor Spruce, who gave him an approving nod._

" _To complete the capture mechanism, press down on the switch for five seconds. Upon doing so, the briefcase will 'capture' whatever is in the illuminated space."_

 _With a slight push, Lincoln did as he was told. He didn't quite know if five seconds passed or not but he felt that he had waited long enough…_

" _WOAH!" Lincoln exclaimed as the briefcase flung open and a red beam of light, similar to that of a Pokéball's, completely covered the shelf. Within seconds, the silhouette of the shelf disappeared and the beam retreated into the briefcase, which snapped shut._

"' _Woah', indeed," Professor Spruce replied with a tiny cocky smirk._

" _That is…okay, besides Fennekin, that is the coolest thing I've seen since…ever!"_

 _The smirk morphed into that of a genuinely bright smile._

" _I'll be happy to soak in your adulation once we're finished. Now, I have to walk you through the release mechanism. First, aim the briefcase towards where you had the spotlight last. Next, on the right side of the briefcase, you'll find a black sliding switch. Push up on it until its reached the apex. Like the capture mechanism switch, press down on the release mechanism switch for five seconds."_

 _Since the "release mechanism" sounded the same as the "capture mechanism", Lincoln had no trouble completing all the success, finishing off each step in rapid succession. Once he finished, the briefcase opened again, releasing that same beam of red light. In the time span of a sneeze, the shelf was back to where it was before after the red light dissipated._

" _It's...it's back to where it was! Like it was there the whole time!" Lincoln remarked in awe._

" _Precisely but remember the three limitations: it can only store up to a hundred pounds at a time, no living beings will be taken in, and you cannot selectively release anything."_

" _Gotcha," Lincoln affirmed._

" _Good," Professor Spruce said. "Now, we'll start the process all over again, starting with the passcode input. Proceed."_

 _At that, Lincoln's eyes widened and his heart raced. In the excitement of seeing the briefcase in action, Lincoln had completely forgotten the passcode, the most important part out of her instruction. He looked over at the impatient professor and smiled sheepishly as sweat formed under his brow._

" _Uh…"_

" _You forgot the passcode, didn't you?"_

 _Lincoln flushes, still not responding even after his ignorance is obvious at this point. He hears Professor Spruce groan in disbelief before she speaks out._

" _It appears I'll have to ignite your memory proficiency through a rather harsh incentive."_

 _An incentive? And a rather harsh one at that? Lincoln did not like the sound of that at all._

" _I have cameras that monitor any activity outside Spruce Labs' front door under twenty-four-hour surveillance. Curiously, it also managed to capture the perfect angle of when you and Leni arrived here just before noon. Upon scrutinizing the footage more closely, I just so happened to spy a certain preadolescent giving licentious glances at my assistant's…posterior."_

 _All color drains out of Lincoln's face, knowing exactly what she was getting at. But that wasn't fair! He didn't mean to stare! And besides, it wasn't like he was downright ogling at it! There was no way that someone as smart as the Professor wouldn't notice that, right?! She was pulling his leg! That was all!_

 _One good look at Professor Spruce's face, which was twisted with a toothy, mischievous grin, confirmed that she was, indeed, not kidding._

" _I wonder what Leni would think if she saw that footage of you staring at her so lewdly? Fail to recollect the passcode three times during this exercise and we'll all find out, won't we?"_

* * *

Lincoln, his twin sisters, and his parents all arrived in Lincoln's room in no time at all, standing in front of the bed and at everything that was ready to be packed. Seeing that everything appeared to be adequate for his trip, Lincoln turned to face his family, who were all standing about a foot away from him in a huddled group.

"Remember how I said that Professor Spruce would help us with the packing? Just sit back and watch this baby in action. Ace Savvy wishes he had a gadget as cool as this!"

Lincoln entered the passcode without missing a beat. Before he could commit to following through with the "capture mechanism", he remembered that he had stored his Pokédex and electronic map inside the briefcase. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to retrieve them selectively, Lincoln decided that it'd be best to get them out now before they got mixed in with everything else.

"But first, I gotta take some stuff out that I already have in here."

In the span of about ten seconds, Lincoln had the last step of the "release mechanism" completed and like before, the contents materialized before his eyes as his Pokédex and his map, which was shaped in almost the same way as his Holo Caster and was even the same color, but was more sleek and rectangular, plopped onto the pile of his belongings.

"Ooooooooooooh!" his familial spectators gawked.

Lincoln smirked at their dazzled reactions before he took the Pokédex and map in one hand, putting it aside on the floor next to the bed.

"I'll be putting these in a separate backpack. Gotta feeling I'll want to have 'em on standby any chance I can get," Lincoln said to no one in particular.

He got himself back to where he was before the bed and aimed at the pile again once he input the passcode.

"And now…"

After completing the "capture mechanism", everything that was on his bed vanished in the red light that encompassed it. He heard his mother gasping in astonishment while his father gave out a "woah".

"Cooooool!" Lana remarked.

"How much can fit in there?!" Lola asked excitedly.

"Up to a hundred pounds. Just so long as the object isn't a living being," Lincoln said as he turned to face his family. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Instead of answering him, the twins just ran up to the briefcase as if to grab it but Lincoln quickly held it over his head before they could. The last thing he needed was the briefcase going into self-defense mode because of their carless fiddling.

"You could pack so much mud into that thing!" Lana squealed.

"Or an entire wardrobe of dresses!" Lola chimed in.

The giddy girls looked up at Lincoln and declared simultaneously, "I want one, too!"

Lincoln shook his head. "Sorry, sisters, but this isn't available in stores. The professor only has three of these bad boys, including the one that I have. And before you ask, the other two are only for other Pokémon Trainers like me."

The twins ceased their jubilant attitudes and grumbled at their misfortune.

"Ugh, fine. Whatever," Lola griped with folded arms.

After silence ensued for a few moments, an idea came to Lana, one that made her perk up a bit.

"Soooooo…can you show us your Pokémon now? You did get one, right?"

At those words, Lola's good mood was restored.

"Yeah, yeah! Show us what it is! I wanna see it!"

Lincoln mulled it over for a bit, wondering if it was such a good idea. Knowing his twin sisters, they could get overzealous when they got excited…

But then again, it wasn't as if he couldn't just retreat Fennekin back into her Pokéball if they got carried away. Besides, he believed they'd have a lot more sense to behave themselves.

"Well, I suppose I could give you guys just a little pe-"

Before he could finish his sentence, everyone heard knocking at the front door.

"Who that could be?" Rita wondered as he made her way to the door, intent on finding out who it was.

Everyone else trailed behind her, including Lincoln, but not before leaving his briefcase next to his map and Pokédex at the side of his bed.

He came down the stairs just in time to see his mother opening the door and revealing that it was Clyde who knocked.

"Hey, Clyde," Lynn greeted from behind his wife. "What brings you here?"

"I saw Lincoln coming back in Vaniville Town through my bedroom window," Clyde explained with a smile, "so I thought I'd drop by and talk to him about what he did with that professor."

At those words, Lola and Lana rushed in front of their parents and stood side-by-side as they looked up at Clyde with frowns.

"Hey, no fair! Lincoln was gonna show off his new Pokémon to us first!" Lola objected rudely.

"Yeah!" Lana agreed unabashedly.

"Ease up, you two," Lincoln said as he got in between them and Clyde. "There's no reason to be rude. Tell you what, since Clyde hasn't seen it either, how about I just show him what is, too?"

Though they were taken aback by their selfishness upon reflection, that didn't stop Lola and Lana from thinking about themselves in no time.

"Okay but I get to hold it first," Lola demanded sternly.

"No way! I wanna hold it first! I'm the oldest, remember?" Lana countered without cheekiness in her tone.

"BY! TWO! MINUTES!" Lola roared as she got nose-to-nose with Lana.

"So?! Oldest is still oldest!" Lana retorted with nearly as much venom.

Soon, the bickering became a cacophony of insults and objections at the other's claim to holding Lincoln's Pokémon first. Rita and Lynn were unperturbed, having been used to their daughter's arguing for years now and went about their own way as they decided to leave them be.

Clyde, on the other hand, was not at ease at the spectacle.

"Uh…Lincoln? Don't you think you should-"

"Forget it," Lincoln said with a defeated sigh. "They'll be like that for a while. Come on in and I'll show you what it is."

Clyde did so, walking around the shouting twins until he was in the living room with Lincoln. Without another word, Lincoln took out his Pokéball and tossed it at the ground and caught it on the recoil after it opened.

Out popped Fennekin, who, instead of cheerfully greeting Lincoln, curiously looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings, sniffing away at the carpet underneath her paws.

"Clyde, I'd like you to my first ever Pokémon. This is Fennekin," Lincoln presented proudly.

"Woah," Clyde whispered and knelt onto the floor to get a closer look. Fennekin noticed the shadow slightly looming over her and looked up to see who or what had cast it. Upon seeing Clyde, Fennekin simply stared at him with big, orange eyes before she resumed her sniffing.

"I don't think I've ever seen this Pokémon before," Clyde told Lincoln as he got off the floor.

"Same here," Lincoln said. "I never knew this Pokémon even existed until Professor Spruce showed her to me."

Clyde gave Fennekin another analytical once-over before he commented, "I'm guessing by the color pattern that it's a Fire-type, right?"

Lincoln nodded. "You'd be right on that one but even if I couldn't guess because of her looks, my Pokédex can show off the type of any Pokémon it scans."

Clyde shrugged at the unfamiliar term.

"A…Pokédex?"

"Uh huh. It's this really cool device that lets you-"

"That is the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" Lola shrieked as she sped past the two boys to crouch down in front of Fennekin, who jumped up a bit from being startled.

Before Lincoln could speak out against her rashness, Lana thundered past him and took a spot on the floor directly behind Fennekin.

"Look at those ears!" Lana cooed as she pointed to the tuft of hair poking out of one of her ears. "That hair's crazier than my bedhead!"

"I just wanna bop that little nose!" Lana gushed.

"I bet it can dig up holes as good as Charles can!" Lana exclaimed.

"And that tail is just…just…so fluffy!"

"Does it like belly rubs as much as Cliff does? I bet it does!"

Meanwhile, poor Fennekin shrunk into a quivering ball as she looked in front of her and behind her for solace from the unwanted attention she was getting, only to find either Lola or Lana hovering over her much to close for comfort.

On the sidelines, Lincoln had had enough of what he was seeing. He didn't want to think that his sisters would behave like this but one good look at Fennekin's scared face sent his blood boiling, as if molten lava were running through his veins and threatening to erupt out of his skin.

"Guys, cut it out! You're scaring her!" Lincoln sharply scolded, causing the twins to stop immediately and look over at Lincoln's furious expression, something that they didn't often see from him when they were the reason behind it.

Realizing their mistake, they hurriedly scooted away from Fennekin and allowed her to make a desperate dash behind Lincoln's leg. Through it all, their eyes never left Lincoln's smoldering glare.

"Sorry, Lincoln," they both said in unison with shaky voices and wide eyes.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Fennekin," Lincoln barked coldly without a hint of graciousness in his voice.

They both made a move to walk towards Fennekin but stopped when Lincoln put a hand out.

"From over there."

They both sat back down where they were and felt guilt hammering them into the floor once they saw Fennekin timidly staring back at them.

"Sorry, Fennekin," Lola apologized, absolutely ashamed of herself.

"Yeah. We're sorry," Lana said as she rubbed at her arm and looked at the floor.

Satisfied with their genuine remorse, Lincoln looked down at Fennekin, whom by now, wasn't nearly as anxious as before. Their eyes met once Fennekin looked up at her Trainer and her fear nearly melted away.

"See? They're not so bad, Fennekin. Sure, they can be a pain in the butt sometimes-"

"HEY!" the twins objected.

"But," Lincoln continued with a smile at their indignation, "they're still good people."

Rita, having been close by the entire ordeal and proud of her son for maturely diffusing the situation, walked in on the scene with her attention on the twins.

"Alright, you two. I think I remember telling you that you need to clean your room. Did you finish up with that?"

Lola and Lana gave each other a knowing look; they weren't even close to be done. They had abandoned their assigned chore once they heard that Lincoln had come home and went down to meet him. It didn't help that they had been procrastinating even before he showed up.

"Uh…define 'finished'," Lana replied with a hopeful grin.

Rita's unflinching stare punctuated how little room there was for tomfoolery here.

"Alright, alright. We'll go," Lola surrendered with a groan. "Come on, Lana."

With that, the sisters headed towards their room, mumbling to each other all the way.

"I call dibs on all the dust bunnies we sweep up from under the bed," Lana told Lola as they made it to the top stair.

Lola scoffed. "You say that like I _wanted_ them in the first place."

Rita then turned to Clyde, who merely stood by while everything played out.

"Clyde?"

"Yes, Mrs. Loud?" Clyde answered.

"We'll be having dinner in a couple hours and Lincoln will be telling us everything he did with the Professor. If you want to stick around and eat with us, so you can hear about it, you're more than welcome to do so."

Clyde gave the idea a quick thought and after figuring that there wouldn't be any hassle from the invite, he gladly accepted.

"Thanks, Mrs. Loud. That sounds great."

"Alrighty then. I'll call up Howard and tell him that you're here."

With a newfound arrangement to attend to, Rita left the boys alone to talk with each other. Meanwhile, sensing that Fennekin had enough excitement for one day, used his Pokéball to summon her back into her safe space, this time, without declaring "Fennekin, return!".

"So, Lincoln," Clyde said as he looked to Lincoln, "would it be alright with you if I went home and grabbed some of my stuff so I can bring it here? I figured it'd be best if we left after we ate dinner and I want everything here so I don't have to make an unnecessary trip to my place."

"Of course," Lincoln replied immediately, not seeing the harm in Clyde's suggestion. "No problem at all."

* * *

 _25 minutes later…_

Lincoln sat on the living room sofa and looked down at his wrist, where he was sure there'd be a watch if he had one, as he waited for Clyde to show up. He was sure it had been at least half an hour by now and he wondered what it was that Clyde could've been carrying with him that would've the trip from his house, which next door, to here so long.

He got his answer when a series of knocks pounded on the door. Lincoln answered the door quickly, wanting to get to the bottom of Clyde's "tardiness" against his expectations.

"There you….are?" Lincoln said bewilderedly as he saw what Clyde was dragging behind him. There were three comedically enormous navy blue duffel bags behind Clyde, which by the look of exhaustion on Clyde's face, took a lot of effort on his end to drag by the handle. On his back was a yellow backpack, no doubt filled with even more equipment and tools that Clyde felt necessary for the trip.

In addition, instead of Clyde usual get-up of a blue and yellow striped polo shirt and jeans, he was now wearing black pants and a yellow jacket with black sleeves, along with black, fingerless gloves.

"Uh, Clyde? Are you sure you can carry all that around Kalos?" Lincoln asked incredulously.

"Why, of course, Lincoln," Clyde responded as he recited, "'a Pokémon Ranger has to be prepared for any situation. You can't just go with the bare necessities. You gotta go all in.' It says so in my trusty handbook/survival guide, _From Recruit to Ranger_ , written by Ranger Lopez."

Lincoln had no idea who this Ranger Lopez was but from the sounds of it, either he or she didn't have any business writing books or Clyde had taken the advice to the extreme. Still he had to admire his moxie.

"Well, if you say so. Just don't blame me if you get blistery palms and aching shoulders dragging all that stuff around," Lincoln laughed.

"What a coincidence; blistery palms and aching shoulders are a sign that you're hauling a man's worth of luggage around, which means you're building character. It says so in the handbook."

With a roll of the eyes, Lincoln beckoned Clyde to step right in, which Clyde did as he slowly but surely dragged the bags into the house at once.

"So, if I may ask, what exactly are you carrying with you?" Lincoln asked.

Taking a break to catch his breath, Clyde answered him with clinical precision.

"Let me see…some flashlights, a change of clothes, my tent, my sleeping bag, my white noise machine, some jackets for the winter, my ear plugs, a few medical kits, my humidifier, my dehumidifier, my allergy medications, my compass, my inhaler, some pots, some pans-"

"Wait…pots and pans?" Lincoln asked.

"Of course," Clyde retorted with a "well, duh" inflection. "How else am I gonna cook food for us?"

Lincoln facepalmed at his own neglect. He remembered the fishing rod that he packed and didn't think to bother with any other utensil that centered around nourishment. Pots and pans would obviously be essential for the trip and despite Lincoln's doubt about Clyde's packing, he was grateful for hiw resourcefulness.

"Y'know, I hadn't really thought about that 'til now. Glad you got that covered but still, you know how to cook?"

"Well, not exactly. That handbook has a few handy recipes that you can make out of resources in the wild. It shouldn't be too hard to do. Plus, even if I manage to screw up, you know how to fish, don't you? We can always use your fishing prowess to hold us off as we go from town to town."

Liking the sound of that idea, Lincoln gave his buddy a pat on the back.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Glad to hear it, although I have to warn you, Lincoln…" Clyde trailed off enigmatically, waiting for Lincoln to reply.

"About what exactly?" his friend asked.

With Lincoln's undivided attention on him, Clyde assumed an authoritative pose with his arms behind his back and his chest puffed.

"About trekking through the wild. Sure, it may sound like fun and games but you must remain vigilant at all times. Always cautious, always ready, always prepared to expect the unexpect-"

Before Clyde's cautious, grandiose spiel could continue, the sound of crunching caused both boys to follow where the sound was coming from. It didn't take long for them to realize what it was as they spotted Charles digging his head into one of the open pockets of Clyde's duffel bags.

"Hey!" Clyde exclaimed, causing Charles to stop and make a run for it up the stairs. Clyde reached into the bag and cringed at what his fingers pulled out; a small plastic bag with teeth marks and tiny bits of grain, nuts, and oats falling through the holes that Charles had left behind.

Lincoln stifled a snicker as best he could as he looked on amusedly at Clyde's over-the-top, crestfallen expression.

"Aw, man, that was my trail mix," Clyde sighed.

Needless to say, Clyde was more careful about leaving his bags unopened from that point on, lest a hungry Snubbull find its way into his stash of treats.

* * *

 _Though Clyde was devastated by the loss of his precious trail mix, his palate was soon satisfied hours later when he ate the Basculin, that Lincoln's father promised his son earlier, at the dinner table along with Lincoln and his family._

 _For the entire duration, Lincoln was the center of attention as he recalled everything that had happened earlier on in the day. With the meal finished and with not much left to recount, the time for goodbyes was nearly upon the two friends…_

* * *

 _The Loud Residence. June 10_ _th_ _, 2036. 6:14 PM._

"Thanks for the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Loud," Clyde said to Lincoln's parents as he wiped at his mouth with a napkin and placed it on the empty plate where his used cutlery remained.

He looked around at all the happily content faces of Lincoln and his family, as they sat around the table, satisfied with the food they had just eaten.

"Don't mention it, Clyde," Lynn responded. "We're just happy that there was enough Basculin for everyone."

Clyde turned to Lincoln, who sitting by his left.

"And thank _you_ for the interesting story.

"I only mentioned what was true," Lincoln retorted with a shrug.

Lola let out a "hmph" at Lincoln's response.

"Yeah, well, I still don't believe that a professor can be a four-year-old."

"Four-and-a-half," Lincoln corrected.

"Whatever! I just think you're pulling our legs. I bet she was really old and gross-looking."

At that, Lana, who was seated right next to Lola, leaned in until she was next to her ear.

"Like great aunt Ruth," she joked with a snicker that Lola found infectious.

"I heard that, young lady," Rita lambasted as she pointed at Lana with her fork.

The pig-tailed blonde could only slump in her chair and blush at being caught.

"Well, if you want to see her," Lincoln told Lola, not paying Lana any mind, "you can always have Mom or Dad take you to Aquacorde Town to meet her. I'll put in a good word for you. Just make sure not to go where you're not allowed. Or touch…anything, really."

Before Lola could reply, the sound of door knocking got everyone's attention. Lynn got up out of his seat to answer while everyone else stood by to chat idly. Upon opening the door, he was met with the sight of a familiar face.

He was a slinky, tall, white-skinned male with red hair, a large, protruding nose, and buck teeth. He had on his usual ensemble of white sneakers, brown slacks, and a red-collared shirt.

"Hi, Howard. Come on in," Lynn said and waited for Howard McBride to pass him by.

"Thanks. I came as soon as you called and told me my son was ready to leave with Lincoln," Howard said as he looked past Lynn to wave at Clyde, who spotted him as soon as he came inside.

Before he could talk to him, Lynn grabbed him lightly by the arm to stop him.

"So, uh, I'm sorry I'm bringing this up but..." Lynn began in a hushed tone and braced himself for the unpleasant reaction he was sure to get with what he had to say next.

"Is Harold not with you? I mean, I know you're both not exactly on the same page anymore but I figured that he'd at least be here to see his son off."

The bright smile on Howard's face formed into a sad frown at the mention of his husband.

"Well, you know Harold. Work always comes first with him. Besides, he's wasn't what I'd call the most supportive when it came to Clyde's decision. I doubt he'd want to make the trip from Coumarine City all the way here to take part in a choice he wanted nothing to do with."

"Sorry to have mentioned him," Lynn said sadly.

Howard shook his head at the apology.

"It's fine. At least you had the sense not to bring him up in front of Clyde."

Once Howard felt that the conversation didn't need further expanding, he walked past Lynn to head off towards his son, who left his seat at the table to run up to his dad and hug him tightly. Howard, unlike usual, was the one to release it so he could look his son in the eye properly.

"Okay, so, did you remember to pack everything? Your medication, your sleeping equipment, etc.?"

"Sure did," Clyde confirmed. "I've got all my bags in the living room if you wanna see if I left anything behind."

"That won't be necessary," Howard told his son. "I trust that you came prepared and that you'll do fine out there, especially if you have Lincoln by your side. Just remember not to overdo it, okay?"

"Sure thing but Dad, I gotta tell you about the people Lincoln met in Aquacorde Town today. You're gonna flip!"

With that, father and son made their way to the living room to do as Clyde promised. Meanwhile, Lynn looked to Lincoln, who had been watching Clyde and his father the whole time, and silently called him over to him. Once he did so, he kneeled down on the floor on one knee so they could see each other eye-to-eye.

"Hey, Lincoln?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"You want to head over to your room and get your briefcase and backpack?"

Lincoln froze, taking in the meaning of his father's words. There was a sense of finality to them and Lincoln knew far too well why.

This was it. Everything that he had hoped for was finally coming true and now that he had come so far, it would be too late to give up now, too late to take back everything he had worked on. Once he went upstairs to grab his things, he would be leaving his home for such a long time.

Besides Clyde, everyone that he cherished would be back here at home…

Without _him_. And a part of him didn't like that at all.

"Sure," Lincoln finally answered somberly.

His reaction too Lynn by surprise and as a result, he asked, "Everything alright, Lincoln?"

"I…"

Lincoln wanted to tell him that he was a little sad to say goodbye but he didn't want to feel like he was betraying himself by acting how he shouldn't in this scenario; apprehensive.

But lying wouldn't do him any good, not when his father most likely already knew that something was bothering him.

"It's just…it's finally dawned on me what's happening. I'm about to leave you guys behind so I can live out my dreams."

At his son's words, Lynn could only do what he felt was necessary and wrapped his son up on a hug.

"Lincoln, you're not leaving anyone behind. You're trying to find your place in the world the best way you know how. This isn't a goodbye forever, alright? No matter what you do, no matter who you become, remember that this will always be your home."

Once he felt Lincoln nodding against the side of his head, he let him go.

"Now go upstairs quickly and get your stuff. You wanna make sure you get to Aquacorde Town's Pokémon Center fast enough before reservations for their rooms fill up, especially since you told us about early registration for the Pokémon League. There are sure to be eager Trainers there to sign up, too."

"Okay, Dad," Lincoln said, feeling a little better with himself.

He headed towards the stairs but stopped halfway when he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder. He spun around and saw it was his father.

"Hold on...wait a second, Lincoln. I forgot to give you something first."

Lynn reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a thick stack of money and handed it over to Lincoln.

"Here's three thousand Pokédollars. It's yours."

Lincoln hesitantly grabbed at the money, doing his best not to faint on the spot. He had never seen this much money before in his life. The most he ever had to himself was a few hundred Pokédollars that he saved up for comic books. Just looking at the money made him feel guilty; he didn't feel like he earned it.

"D-dad, I…I-I can't accept this. This is way too much," Lincoln objected and went to hand the money back, only for his father not to even look at it, much less take it back.

"No, son. If anything, it's not enough. But for now, this is both from your mother and myself. We chipped into our savings and got this for you. We both know you'll spend it wisely and besides, this is your dream. There isn't a thing in the world we'd do with our money than make sure that our children's dreams have a chance at coming true."

Absolutely stunned by the generosity from both mother and father, Lincoln fought back tears and grinned widely as he took out his wallet and shoved the money inside of it.

"Thanks, Dad," Lincoln beamed and looked on as his father went to the dining table to help his wife with the dirty dishes.

Lincoln turned back towards the stairs and felt a lump form in his throat, along with the tears in his eyes that he had held back successfully just moments ago.

Just looking at the stairs, stairs that he had taken for granted his entire life, felt sentimental. He would be walking up them for one final time for a while and as he looked up the flight, he couldn't help but reminisce to what had happened on them just a few months ago…

* * *

" _Lana!" Lincoln cried out as he heard the pained yowling of Lana from outside of his room. He left his bed in a hurry and dashed out his room, following the sounds of pain until at last, he was before Lana. She was sitting on one of the middle wooden steps, cradling her right hand in her other hand, and biting her lip to prevent more yowling from coming out._

" _You okay?" Lincoln asked and he got a good look at Lana's hand once she reluctantly allowed him to look at it._

" _Spl…splinter," Lana grit out painfully through her teeth and sure enough, dead center in the middle of her palm, was a sliver of wood embedded into the flesh._

 _Lincoln surmised that she got it from horse-playing on the stairs, something that their parents constantly reminded her not to do. Rather than chide her for her carelessness, Lincoln wiped away a fresh tear that trickled out of her eye and said, "Just hang on, okay? I got this."_

 _Without a moment's hesitation, Lincoln hurried to the bathroom, bolting his way through with urgency. He reached the medicine cabinet and found what he was looking for, a pair of tweezers. He returned to Lana's side with the tool in a heartbeat and tenderly grabbed at her injured hand by the wrist. Carefully, he captured the end of the splinter with the tweezers and with swift yank, pulled out the tiny piece of wood and threw it over his shoulder. Thankfully, the wound wasn't deep enough to bleed._

" _There we go," Lincoln said as he stuffed the tweezers into his pocket and kissed the place where the splinter had been. "All done. You feelin' better?"_

" _Yeah," Lana responded with a tiny, thankful smile._

" _Good, because now I'm gonna have to put rubbing alcohol on it."_

 _Lana's eyes widened, not liking the sound of rubbing alcohol in the slightest. Lincoln caught onto her anxiety and placed another kiss on her, this time on the tip of her nose._

" _Don't worry, I promise it's not gonna hurt that much."_

 _Lincoln took Lana by her uninjured hand to lead her to the bathroom where the rubbing alcohol was. He let out a laugh when he heard her mumble, "Easy for you to say."_

* * *

Lincoln finally made it up the stairs but upon doing so, he realized that he was standing before the hallowed hallways of the epic battles that took place between Ace Savvy and one of his most formidable archenemies, the mind manipulator, Dr. Krieger.

Even though the last battle had ended about five years ago, Lincoln remembered them like they happened yesterday…

* * *

" _You'll never control me, Dr. Krieger!" Lincoln declared as he ran down the hallway, decked out in his Ace Savvy costume and chortling despite the tone of urgency his previous words had to them._

 _He looked behind him and found his father, who was clad in an eyepatch, a fake hook for a hand, and his fishing boots, chasing after him._

" _Just you wait, Ace Savvy! I'll catch you and brainwash you into becoming my faithful minion, just like I did to your precious Arcanine!" the "villain" promised theatrically._

 _Once Lincoln found himself at the end of the hallway, right next to his bedroom door, he bolted inside his room and emerged with a pillow under his arm._

" _Eat this, you vile fiend!" Lincoln shouted as he charged towards his father and hurled the pillow at his stomach, causing the dastardly fiend to fall back from the "devastating blow". Before he could recover, Lincoln leaped onto the pillow and began hurling down a barrage of soft punches into the pillow._

" _I surrender, I surrender!" Lynn screamed as he flailed his limbs about._

 _With the battle won, Lincoln sat on the pillow triumphantly, thus pinning his nemesis to the ground without a hope for escape._

" _Good! That'll teach you not to take control of my sidekick! Now, you're going to reverse the pul…para…pupu…"_

" _Polarity," Lynn whispered, momentarily breaking character despite knowing that his son didn't like it._

" _Polarity of your brainwashing device and bring me back my Arcanine!"_

 _With that, Lincoln pantomimed putting on handcuffs on his father and ordered him to stand up as he led him away to jail, which was always the bathroom._

* * *

Rather than turn to his right so he could go to his room, Lincoln decided to turn left and head to the bathroom instead, wanting to check out the "jail" that had housed so many dangerous villains. Once he was there, he chuckled at another memory that came to him as he turned on the bathroom lights and spotted the bathtub.

Dr. Krieger may have been bad but he paled in comparison to Lana when she was four and fought tooth and nail not to take a bath…

* * *

 _From the doorway, both Lincoln and Lola had the perfect view of their parents trying to lower a naked, squealing Lana into the bathtub and into the water to get clean. Though they bickered a lot, they both came together in moments like these to watch as Lana comically did everything she could to avoid taking a bath._

" _Lana! Hold still!" Rita groused as she finally got Lana into the tub, only for her to start kicking and splashing away at the water in a vain attempt to get it away from her._

" _The longer you struggle, the longer you're going to stay in that tub!" Lynn threatened but to no avail; Lana would just not listen to reason._

" _Soap! Water! Lana hate! Lana want mud!" Lana growled in an animalistic tone._

" _Enough kicking! You're getting water all over the floor!" Rita scolded harshly._

" _Lana no want clean!" the girl protested and splashed out another wave of water on her mother._

" _Only clean little girls get dessert after dinner!" Lynn half-begged, half-scowled._

" _Lana don't care! Lana want mud!" Lana roared and accidentally doused her father with a splash._

 _Having seen enough for one day, Lola and Lincoln laughed heartily at the spectacle, knowing full well that they'd be in there for at least another hour._

* * *

Lincoln broke out of his thoughts when he heard his mother laughing from down the stairs, possibly from one of her husband's corny jokes. He sighed wistfully; his mother had always been a source of comfort for him when he faced something scary or intimidating.

And now…now he wouldn't be seeing her for a while. No one to chase away the nightmares that plagued his mind and kept him from sleep…

* * *

 _With mild trepidation, a then five-year-old Lincoln crept through the dark hallways, knowing from memory where his parents' room was. He knew it was late and his mother was probably fast asleep by now but he had to take advantage of the "open door policy", a guarantee that when his father left them to fish for his commercial fishing company, he had access to his parents' bedroom but more specifically, the comfort of her mother's warm embrace._

 _He had yet another dream about being chased down by an angry herd of Tauros and Bun-Bun wasn't doing the trick, hence why he needed such drastic measures._

 _When he finally arrived at the door, he pushed it open, and crept in slowly, not wanting to wake his mother up, who was sure to be sleeping by n-_

" _Hey there, slugger."_

 _Ooooooor not._

" _H-hi, Mommy," Lincoln answered shyly._

" _You had another bad dream?" Rita asked through the darkness of the room._

 _He nodded and answered with a tiny "uh huh"._

" _Okay. Come on in here. I'll protect you, okay?"_

 _Lincoln hurriedly ran towards the bed, jumping softly onto the pliant mattress and shuffling underneath the sheets until his head poked out from where his mother was waiting for him with a one-armed hug._

" _Good night, Lincoln," Rita cooed and placed a soft kiss against his temple as he yawned and drifted off peacefully to sleep._

* * *

"Good night, Mom," Lincoln said in a shaky whisper, blinking furiously to keep his tears at bay.

Deciding to cease with the dillydallying and head over to his room already, Lincoln turned around and walked down to the opposite hallway to where his room would be.

His room…and his sisters. Once he approached his door, he put a hand on the doorknob, ready to open it and grab his things and leave, leave before he felt the grip of regret urging him to stay.

But he stopped himself all the same. He knew he had to count the full cost of his departure, to take in everything that he was going to say goodbye to so that he would appreciate it even more when he came back.

With his mind made up, Lincoln turned around, spotting two doors directly behind him. The one on his right belonged to his baby sister Lily. The one on the left belonged to Lana and Lola.

Lincoln chuckled. Guess this meant he wouldn't be getting beauty treatments from Lola anymore…

* * *

" _Aaaaaand done," Lola declared with pride, putting away her eyeshadow after applying an even coat to it over Lincoln's upper and lower eyelids. "Perfect."_

 _Once he heard that his modeling was done, Lincoln opened his eyes and took in the sight of his makeup through one of Lola's portable mirrors. By now, he was used to being roped into these affairs, so he was no longer affected by them like he was when Lola first started roping him into doing stuff like this._

" _What'd you think, Lincoln? I think pink eyeshadow brings out my complexion the best."_

 _Lincoln groaned. "So, why'd you have to test it out on me?" he asked despite knowing the answer._

 _Lola rolled her eyes and said, "Well, duh, I don't want to make a fool out of myself by putting on bad makeup. That's what test dummies are for, ya big dummy."_

 _Lincoln groaned again and put the mirror off to the side on the bed they were sitting on. As he turned back to Lola, he almost jumped out of his skin when Lola surprised him with a quick peck on the cheek._

" _Wh-what was that for?" Lincoln spluttered, not used to Lola acting so…nicely? Was that the right word here?_

 _Lola shrugged indifferently._

" _For being such a good model. You have no idea how easy you make this for me. Lana would've just kicked and screamed the whole way through and Lily's way too young for makeup."_

 _Satisfied with her explanation, Lola reached over to her assortment of makeup, which she totally didn't borrow without permission from her mother, and pulled out a bottle of purple nail polish._

" _Now then, I think we'll be moving on to nail polish. Hold out your hand."_

 _Lincoln obeyed and put out his left hand for Lola to experiment with as she pleased. He was bemused by the aghast reaction on her face as she peered disapprovingly at his fingernails._

" _Sheesh, Lincoln, your nails are almost as bad as Lana's. Forget the nail polish; you're getting a manicure right now."_

* * *

And then there was Lily. Sweet, sweet, Lily. Except for her rancid-smelling diapers, Lily was always a harbinger of joy and levity. He always knew she would be, even as he waited patiently for his time to finally see her for the first time…

* * *

 _Although knew exactly how he should behave around a newborn, he couldn't help but be excited and jittery as his parents led him to the room that used to be a storage room for old relics of their past. Now, it was a room that housed his new sister, Lily. Since he was at school while the delivery took place, that meant that he couldn't be there to see her at the hospital but now…now he would and it would be great._

" _Now, Lincoln, I know you're excited to see her but please remember to be quiet, okay?" Rita instructed._

 _Lincoln gave a thumbs-up and made his move inside the room, quietly, of course. He spotted the crib in no time and tiptoed over to it. Once there, he peered over the siderail and nearly swooned at the sight; there was Lily, with her eyes shut and her little nose twitching as she laid there, wrapped up in snug clothing._

" _Hey there, Lily," Lincoln spoke to her softly. "I'm your big brother, Lincoln. When you get older, I'm gonna show you all the cool things that kids get to do. Like how to play baseball, fly a kite, tie your shoes, and…"_

 _Without warning, Lily woke up and let out a sneeze, prompting Lincoln to reach down and lightly stroke her nearly hairless head._

" _How to cover your mouth when you sneeze," Lincoln chuckled. "Sleep tight, Lily. I love you."_

* * *

It was true then and it was true now. He turned back to his room and opened it, full of vigor and resolve. Now, he had to achieve his dream and do it was fast as he could so he could come back home and be with his family once more.

Marching over to his bed, Lincoln found his briefcase and his black backpack where he had left it. Slinging the backpack over his back, Lincoln grasped at the handle of his briefcase and lifted it off. Before he turned to leave, however, he decided to give his room one last good look.

As he took everything in, his eyes subconsciously scanned his bed several times and Lincoln finally decided to let his eyes stay there. He guessed the magnetism made sense. After all, a heartwarming moment took place in that bed just yesterday…

* * *

" _Lincoln?"_

 _He perked up at the sound of his voice being called and realized that a tiny sliver of light, coming from the hallway outside of his room, peeked through the crack that his now unopened door allowed. He turned his lamp back on, wincing at the sudden burst of light that hit his eyes. Once they were adjusted to the lit room, he could clearly see Lola, clad in her pink sleep gown and timidly looking up at him._

" _Oh, hey, Lola," Lincoln greeted with a small smile on his face. "What's up?"_

" _Well, uh, I-I was wondering…" Lola said, utterly flustered for reasons that Lincoln couldn't quite understand._

" _Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight? Since you're leaving tomorrow, it'll be a while since I get to see you and I…"_

 _Lola trailed off and rubbed at her arm as she shyly dragged her foot across the floor. Lincoln nearly squealed. He had almost forgotten how cute Lola could be._

 _Knowing where she was going with this, Lincoln smiled and called out to her._

" _I understand. Get in here."_

 _In a flash, Lola ran across the room and leaped his into bed, giggling when she landed on Lincoln and made him cry out. In no time at all, she was underneath his blanket, grabbing onto him like he was the softest, cuddliest Teddiursa plush toy in the world._

" _You comfortable?" Lincoln asked while softly stroking his fingers through Lola's flaxen hair, careful not to pull too hard._

" _Uh huh," Lola mumbled contently._

" _Good. Well, goodni-"_

" _Hey," called a voice that sounded almost like Lola's but just an octave lower and a tinge gruffer. Lincoln and Lola looked away from each other to where the voice came from and found Lana standing at the doorway, wearing an oversized dark green shirt, something that she always wore to bed._

 _Lincoln knowingly asked his other twin sister, "Lemme me guess, you want in, too, Lana?"_

 _Her exuberant nod of the head was all Lincoln needed to hear before he allowed her access with, "Alright, you can come. There's plenty of room for you, too."_

" _Awesome!" Lana shouts and leaps into bed in the same manner that Lola did. Just like with Lola, Lincoln is too slow to get out the way of the blonde-haired projectile and had the air knocked out of his lungs when Lana made her ungraceful landing on top of him._

 _Taking it in stride, Lincoln waits for Lana to wiggle past her slightly agitated sister until she's on the other side of him, clutching onto him the same way Lola was doing._

" _Thanks, Lincoln," Lana said with a wide grin._

" _Uh, fair warning, Lincoln," Lola spoke out with a haughty sneer on her face. "Lana farts when she sleeps. It's the worst."_

" _Pssh, you're way worse than I am in the sleep farting department," Lana snaps back, sticking her tongue out playfully._

" _I don't even do that!" Lola protested with rosy cheeks._

" _Yes, you do!" Lana bantered, gleeful at how she was getting under Lola's skin._

" _No, I don't!"_

" _Yes, you do!"_

" _No, I don't!"_

" _Yes, you do!"_

" _No, I don't!"_

" _Yes, you do!"_

* * *

"Lincoln?!"

The voice of his father calling for him loudly, knocked Lincoln right off memory lane and into the present. Whatever he needed, he knew it had to be urgent.

"Yeah, Dad?!" Lincoln answered dutifully.

"Are you ready or what?! Clyde's waiting on you!"

Panic shot through Lincoln like a rocket. How could he be so stupid and forget that he had come up here for a reason and that Clyde was probably chomping at the bit for them to hurry along?!

"Yeah, Dad! I'll be right down!"

With that, Lincoln sped out of his room, slamming the door shut behind him. He raced along the hallway and slid down the bannister of the staircase, hopped off once he reached the bottom, and stopped just before he could collide into the expectant forms of his family and Clyde. Once he was in front of them, Lincoln realized that Howard wasn't there anymore. He guessed that he probably said goodbye to Clyde already and went home. Lincoln also realized the three duffel bags that Clyde was seriously planning on dragging around with him.

He pinched his nose in agitation.

"Okay, Clyde, seriously, you ought to let me help you with those bags. You do know about what my briefcase can do, right?"

Clyde wagged his finger at him in reprimand.

"Yes but like I already said, Lincoln, this build character and-"

Not feeling up to listening to Clyde's prattling, Lincoln took advantage of his occupied monologue and quickly "captured" the bags inside his briefcase, thanking sweet, merciful heaven that he didn't overshoot the one-hundred-pound limit.

He looked at Clyde's peeved expression but almost loftily brushed it aside with a helpful suggestion.

"Well, sometimes, it's better to work smarter, not harder. Besides, I'm sure your sore joints agree with me on this one. Don't they?"

Clyde gave his shoulder a quick rotation and yelped at the pain that surged through him, thanks to the hauling and pulling he had been doing all day. Even his backpack, which was usually weightless for him, felt like a heavy burden with his slightly sore back. He laughed at bit at the dawning revelation of his folly.

"Well…I suppose I'll let you have this one, Lincoln," Clyde chuckled.

"Glad to hear it," Lincoln said and gave his attention to his family.

Lana and Lola were standing close together, right in front of his parents. Lily was currently being held by her mother but having no real understanding on the somber atmosphere, simply giggled and cooed as she saw Lincoln through her wide, impressionable eyes. Lincoln walked past Clyde and crouched down towards the ground until he was up close with Lana.

"Lana…I can't wait to show you all the cool Pokémon that I meet. And thanks again for your good luck charm."

He gave her a quick ruffle of the hair and stood up so he could get a better look at Lily.

"Hey, Lily," Lincoln greeted with a tiny little poke on her belly, causing the baby to giggle louder than ever.

"Be a good little girl and stay out of trouble, okay? And above all else, never stop being adorable."

"Poo poo!" Lily squealed.

He looked down at Lola, who wasn't smiling at all but didn't appear angry, either. Either way, Lincoln knew that she was going to miss him and he would miss her in return.

"I promise I'll call you every chance I get, Lola. You hear me?" Lincoln told her earnestly.

When he didn't get a reply, Lincoln bent down to hug Lola.

"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to baby me, you know. I'll be fine."

So, that was it. She was trying to put on a brave face. He admired that she wasn't trying to make a scene with her hysterics and gently kissed her on the cheek, which finally got her to crack a grin.

With his sisters tended to, Lincoln gave both of his parents the farewell that he hoped was one that they deserved for all the countless deeds, both as parents and as friends, that they had done for him over the years.

"Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad. I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

His mother reached out a free hand to cup the side of his face, running her thumb over his cheek.

"Lincoln Loud, I knew since your very first day on Earth that you'd never disappoint us and the fact that you're taking your first brave steps out into the unknown is proof of that."

The boy took it all in and thanked her silently through his eyes, which now turned towards his father.

"And Lincoln, everything I told you earlier, about this place always being your home? That will always be true. Now, go out there and make us all even more proud of you," Lynn said warmly.

Lincoln gave his father a salute befitting a proud soldier, which he reciprocated. With his family attended to in full, Lincoln walked passed them to the front door and found Clyde standing behind him.

"Ready, Clyde?"

"Ready."

With the swing of the door, Lincoln found the outside surroundings encased with black under the dim, starless night sky and he couldn't find the situation more appropriate; he was venturing off into the unknown, without the slightest idea of exactly what would be ahead of him but he knew this much…

He was ready.

Lincoln and Clyde walked out of the house and stopped just before the light of the living room, peeling through the open door, no longer kept them in view. He then faced his family behind him, who were all standing by the door and doing their best to keep their composure, especially Lola, who was clutching onto Lana's hand for dear life as tears spilled from her eyes.

"Bye, guys! I'll see you really soon!" Lincoln promised and walked out of the light along with Clyde, disappearing from their sights.

The last thing he heard, before being completely out of earshot from them, was them wailing and shouting heartfelt goodbyes as the Loud's only son went out to discover what his self-proclaimed calling had in store for him.

* * *

 _And just like that, Lincoln and Clyde are on the path towards their hopeful futures. With their familiar homes growing more and more distant as they get closer to Aquacorde Town, their spirits remain unwavering in the face of separation._

 _In no time at all, they reached their destination, aiming to spend the night at the Pokémon Center…_

* * *

 _Aquacorde Town. June 10th, 2036. 7:03 PM._

The two friends finally arrived in front of the town's Pokémon Center, stopping right in front of the sliding door and taking a look inside through the glass while not paying any mind to the flock of people that passed them by as they busily attended to their business.

"Looks like Dad was right," Lincoln said to Clyde. "There _are_ a lot of people here tonight."

Neither he or Clyde had been to a Pokémon Center that often, only stopping by every once in a while for Nurse DiMartino and her staff of Audino to check on their Pokémon whenever they were sick or in Lincoln's unique cases, whenever Charles got hurt from fishing with either he or his father after he got in a scrap with a really strong Water-type Pokémon.

"And they all look pretty strong Trainers by the looks of them," Clyde remarked.

Lincoln took a good look at all the people inside and had to agree with Clyde; most of them had the look of seasoned veterans and not one of them looked to be close to his age. Thought the thought of having to face either of them made Lincoln feel intimidated, he knew that there wasn't a chance in the world that he could afford to quit.

' _Yeah. Looks like I got a lot of people to worry about. But I can't back down before I've even began. Not a chance.'_

Lincoln walked a bit ahead of Clyde as they both entered the Pokémon Center and noticed two big lines of people formed.

One of them led right to the reception desk, where a woman of tan skin, long, flowing dark brown hair and yellow hoop earrings, stood, all decked out in formal Kalos Nurse attire. Lincoln and Clyde knew that the people standing in line were either trying to hook up with Nurse DiMartino or book themselves in a room to stay for the night…or heck, maybe they were multitasking.

The other line led up the stairs to the second floor, full of some more intimidating looking Pokémon Trainers. Lincoln had a gut feeling the Pokémon League registration was there.

Tapping Clyde on the shoulder to get his attention, Lincoln presented the plan he had just came up for them both to commit to.

"Alright, so here's the plan: you go reserve us a room while I go and sign up for the Kalos Pokémon League."

"Sure thing, Lincoln," Clyde agreed.

Clyde left him to stand in the line leading up to the reception desk while Lincoln took a spot in the line going upstairs, which ended several feet away from the bottom step. While the line slowly but surely got shorter, Lincoln looked back to Clyde, who didn't seem to fare much better than he was in the patience department as he waited for his line to get moving.

Finally, after twenty minutes of standing about, Lincoln was at the front of the line, standing in front of a table that had a list of names written on a large sheet of white paper and a computer next to that. The person manning the table, a lanky, tall, acne-ridden young adult with short, spiky brown hair and stoic frown on his face, played with the top button of his red vest as Lincoln approached.

"Hi, I'm here to register for the Kalos Pokémon League, more specifically, next year's Lumiose Conference," Lincoln informed him with a bright smile

"Pokémon Handler identification, please," the man wheezily requested without looking up at him while he outstretched his hand out.

Lincoln set down his briefcase so he could reach into his wallet and retrieve the license as asked. He handed it over and waited for the man to complete verifying its authenticity. Once he did, he entered Lincoln's license number into the computer next to him and wrote down Lincoln's name on the big white paper. He gave the license back to Lincoln, along with a slip of red paper underneath it.

"Here you are," the man said. "You are now eligible to begin collecting Gym badges following the conclusion of this year's Lumiose Conference, which begins on June the twenty-seventh and ends on June the thirtieth. I also gave you a voucher for five free Pokéballs with the purchase of any item at our Pokéitem shop on the bottom floor. All first-time Pokémon League signees get one."

Lincoln's face brightened at the news. He would definitely use those other Pokéballs for the other five members of his team.

"Cool!" Lincoln exclaimed as he picked up his briefcase, went out of line to head downstairs, and called back to the man, "Thanks a lot, sir!"

Once he reached the bottom floor, to his shock and dismay, he still found that were still quite a few people ahead of Clyde. When their eyes met, Lincoln gave him a look of sincere pity but wanted him to hang in there.

"Hey, Clyde, stay right there just a little bit longer. I need to go to the Pokéitem shop and get a few things, okay?"

Clyde sighed. "Something tells me that I got the short end of the stick on the whole line waiting thing. But yeah, I'll be fine. Go right ahead."

Lincoln left him to venture into the Pokéitem shop that he knew fairly well. It was located on the far-right corridor of the Pokémon Center, just a few feet away from where the hallway to the guest rooms began. The store displayed a blue heading over the entrance and a white Pokéball logo in the middle.

Once he entered the store, he scanned the area of all the shelves in sight, trying to look for exactly the one thing that he had in mind at the moment. Since the store wasn't very large and the stock was seemed half-empty, Lincoln paced about, weaving through customers to try and get to what he was looking for.

' _If I'm gonna use this voucher, I should use it with the Pokéball belt that Professor Spruce said I should get.'_

He finally approached the back area, where a sign that read "Trainer Items" hung over the spot he was standing. He looked around and made a beeline for what appeared to be a Pokéball belt. He gave it a glance over and after seeing six magnetic notches, with three on each side of the belt, Lincoln knew he was in the right spot. The problem was, the belt was purple and it didn't match his mostly orange and secondarily white tracksuit. It didn't take long for him to find another belt of the same brand but with white as the color.

' _Here we are. This should do just fine,'_ Lincoln thought as he took the belt off its rack and went to go in line to purchase it.

This was going to be great. He'd have a secure (and fashionable) place to keep Fennekin safe. Ah, this was quite a stroke of good fortune.

Except…oh no. A horrible thought struck Lincoln immediately, causing him to nearly hyperventilate as he pictured his poor Fennekin withered away until nothing remained but her skeletal remains.

' _Aw, man, how could I forget?! I need to get Pokémon food, too! And here I was about to let poor Fennekin go out into the wild without getting her anything to eat! Stupid, Lincoln! Stupid, stupid, stupid…'_

Little did he knew that he was loudly berating himself for being stupid while smacking himself at the side of his head with a balled-up fist. The spectacle didn't last too long as employee, a young woman with frizzy, pale blonde hair and a stout stature walked over to him.

"Um, yeah, could you like, not do what you're doing, please? You're scaring the customers."

Lincoln snapped out of his trance and looked around as the curious eyes of bewildered onlookers stared at him as if he had grown a second, third, and fourth head.

"Uh…sorry," Lincoln mumbled sheepishly and scurried away to pick up two red bags of Pokémon kibble, food that he assumed would be good enough for Fennekin and even if it wasn't, he could always return and get something more befitting.

Once he got those items, he went up to the front counter to make the transaction, along with giving the store clerk the voucher so he could hand him his five free Pokéballs. Once done with that, Lincoln wasted little time in securing the Pokéball belt around his waist and affixing his five free Pokéballs onto the magnetic notches. He saved the Fennekin Pokéball for last as he took it out of his tracksuit pocket and hooked it onto the uppermost right one.

On an unrelated note, even though he was happy that he didn't have to spend a fortune, Lincoln couldn't help but walk out of the store feeling a bit guilty.

' _Only two-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-one Pokédollars left. I know I still have a lot but I can't help but feel like I'm being wasteful. Maybe I'm still feeling guilty about Mom and Dad giving me this much money.'_

Lincoln stopped to sling off his backpack so he could fit the kibble bags inside. Once he did, he looked up and saw Clyde standing directly in front of him.

"You got us a room?" Lincoln asked as he got to his feet.

"Yep. Room #156," Clyde said with a smile as he held out the key to their room, which had a blue tag with "#156" on it.

Lincoln's eyes widened.

"Wait…did you say #156?!"

"Sure did!"

"As in-"

"The issue number of the long-running "Ace Savvy: Detective Files" series, in which Ace Savvy discovers his actual origin and that he's not from this world?!"

"A.K.A, the greatest single comic book ever known to man?!"

"Permission to geek out?!"

"Granted!"

Whooping at a decibel that the boys found amicable to everyone else around them, they merrily headed to their room, not having care in the world about the stares and dismissive comments they got as a result of their antics.

Who needed them when their own little meta inside reference only meant that good times were sure to come about?

* * *

 _Three hours later…_

"So, run it by me again. I wanna make sure we're both on the same page," Lincoln said to Clyde as he sat behind the small wooden desk, that was illuminated by the light of a black lamp, as he looked at the screen of his electronic map. By now, he in his orange, flannel pajamas, knowing that he'd soon be going to bed.

Behind him, Clyde rested on the top bunk of the only bed that was available in their small but accommodating room. He was dressed in his yellow footsie pajamas, an item that he was only able to acquire once Lincoln had released the contents of his traveling briefcase and let him dig them out of one of his duffel bags.

Lincoln's tracksuit, hat, and Pokéball belt were laid out next to the lamp and out of the way.

"Alright, Lincoln, so first, we're gonna go and get ourselves a camping spot out in Santalune Forest, which is where we'll be headed tomorrow. Once we're there, we'll spend the next few weeks there with you training your Fennekin for the Pokémon Gym in Santalune City and with me honing and building up my Ranger skills while you do so. Once this year's Lumiose Conference is over, we'll pack up and head towards Santalune City. Agreed?"

After Clyde finished rattling off, Lincoln turned off the map, satisfied with the designated routes and markers that he set on it with the stylus that came with the map.

"Agreed," Lincoln said and placed the map into his backpack.

Clyde thought back to the briefcase and remarked, "Lincoln, I gotta tell you, man, that briefcase is the greatest thing ever. I sure hope that Professor Spruce gets noticed for it like you told me she wanted."

At that, Lincoln went glum and rested his head in one of his hands.

"Yeah," Lincoln said wearily. "Same here."

The creeping feeling of doubt that had begun at Professor Spruce's lab slowly but surely began to rise again. He really didn't need to be reminded of it now…

* * *

" _That electronic map should be very easy to use, almost self-explanatory," the Professor explained as she pointed at the map that Lincoln has holding._

 _Lincoln gave the machine a once-over and found that it did look similar a handheld console, something that he was very familiar with using._

" _That stylus, attached to the side in its holster, is the instrument you use to interact with the screen. You can save towns, cities, and landmarks under a bookmark for later scrutiny. You're also enabled with the ability to make checkpoints towards where you'd like to go, among other things. It operates almost like a handheld gaming system, so I shouldn't have to give you further instruction than this. Although, if you have any queries, again, contact me as soon as you can."_

 _He_ _did_ _have a question, though he wasn't quite sure what to make of it or if Professor Spruce would kindly accept it. One machine after another, all proof of the genius of the four-and-a-half-year-old before him…and she counted on him to get the word out about them and in kind, about what she was capable of…_

" _Lincoln?"_

 _The question that he had, the one above all others, was simple; was he really the right person to be the messenger? Surely, it couldn't be. There was no way that he had what it took. Sure, he could see himself being a great Pokémon Trainer but beyond that? Giving his mentor the aide that she needed? I just felt like it was totally out of his league._

 _And that shamed him. After everything that she had done for him, he couldn't help her in return when it count-_

" _Lincoln?"_

" _Huh? Wha?" Lincoln said in a daze as he snapped out of his stupor to look down at the Professor. "Oh, uh, hey, Professor. Something wrong?"_

" _I should be asking you that question. You were spacing out just now."_

"…"

" _Lincoln?" the Professor probed again, not letting up at all._

 _Lincoln let out a heaving breath, wanting to do anything but let her know what he was really thinking. But, if he was going to accept their relationship, he needed to accept that she would be there to help him and despite the awkward tension that he anticipated from being honest, it would be better than getting worked up and letting the guilt eat away at him._

" _It's just…you make all these really cool inventions, Professor, and I'm really grateful for it..."_

 _Lincoln finished off his preamble with as little courage as he had from the start._

" _But just a little while ago, you showed me that you're not even close to being done yet."_

" _Indeed," Professor Spruce confirmed. "As you are aware, I plan on taking my new position seriously. I envision that soon enough, this facility will be a training center, where upcoming Trainers, much like yourself, can have access to the same devices that bestowed upon you. More than that, they'll have access to different facets of a training program that I've designed; holographic battles, wild Pokémon simulation practices…you name it, I'll do it!"_

 _Lincoln, despite everything, wanted to quell that feeling of satisfaction out of her as soon as he could, having a good feeling that it'd be drained out of her by his unflattering truth anyways._

" _But you can't do that now…can you?"_

 _Like he calculated, Professor Spruce mellowed and frowned a bit._

" _Well…no. I can't. I need funding. There's only so much I can do with my two hands. Between maintaining this laboratory by keeping the lights on with my part-time work, along with composing my inventions single-handedly, I'm swamped. It'd be of the utmost help if you could help me get the funding I need. I mean, I may be a genius, but I am only four-and-a-half. I had to hide myself under the veil of anonymity just to get people like you within these walls and that was just for Pokémon training. I can't imagine any multi-million dollar companies dropping a blank check on my front doorstep just like that…for a little girl, I mean."_

 _In an act of vulnerability, Professor Spruce clasped her hands together in a begging posture and looked at Lincoln with pleading eyes that shimmered behind her eyeglasses._

" _And that's why I need you, Lincoln. Your travels might uncover the opportunity that I've been looking for. Maybe someone will take me seriously, despite my unbecoming age not exactly aligning with that of a conventionally business-savvy entrepreneur that would be considered a reliable asset."_

 _With her plea done, she resumed her stoic, consultant disposition._

" _Now then, what was bothering you so deeply just a minute ago?"_

" _Nothing, nothing!" Lincoln waved off frantically "I-I was just thinking about…"_

 _He swallowed, looking to finish with the truth but just couldn't find the words he needed. Hating himself for finding the ease in lying, Lincoln simply told her, "How much I'm gonna miss everyone back home. That's all."_

* * *

"But…" Lincoln said without thinking.

"But what, Lincoln?" Clyde asked.

Lincoln registered what he just did and was quick to brush it off.

"Nothing, Clyde. Forget about it."

"Nuh uh. Tell me what's wrong."

Lincoln should've expected for his best friend to know that he was trying to hide something from him. He wanted to dislike how perceptive he was but oddly enough…he felt at ease. Maybe it was the fact that it was Clyde or more specifically, maybe it was the fact that he wasn't talking to someone in a position of authority, where he'd have to talk and act a certain way and in return, they'd do the same.

He found that he could be honest with Clyde and get an honest, unabashed response from him where he wouldn't have to mince words. Even if the pill was bitter to swallow, at least he knew it was from a place of genuine discern.

"I can't help but feel like…y'know, I have a lot of responsibility to take on. First, there's taking care of Fennekin and now…now I have to go and make sure not to disappoint Professor Spruce and get her some notice so someone will fund her projects. She really cares about her new position and I don't wanna let her down. And I just think that there's a chance that I'm just not the guy for the job. I'm just a rookie, after all. What if I'm no good?"

Fully expecting for Clyde to either give him a sympathetic pep talk or a generic assurance, he was surprised when he got neither.

"That's ridiculous," Clyde scoffed with a laugh.

"Huh? What'd you mean by that?" Lincoln asked.

Clyde let out a chuckle, almost as if he were laughing at a joke that Lincoln wasn't in on.

"What I mean is, with everything going against her, she chose only one intern out of everyone who applied; you. I think someone as smart as your professor knows how to pick out an ally when she sees one, don'tcha think?"

Lincoln perceived Clyde's wisdom as solid. If Professor Spruce was in somewhat dire straits, wouldn't it be best to get as many helping hands for her plan as possible? Why bother only picking one person unless…unless she really believed in that person? She had told him as much already and within the span of less than a day, Lincoln had already forgotten how much value she saw in him.

He'd chastise himself for that later. For now, he still felt a bit unassured with himself but at least he didn't feel utterly helpless.

"Well…when you put it that way, you do have a point, Clyde."

"When do I not have a point?"

Sensing the opportunity for mischief, Lincoln haughtily grinned at his friend.

"Weeeeeeeeell, if you want me to be totally honest with you-"

Before he could finish his thought, he took a soft blow to the face by one of Clyde's pillows that he had hurled at him from his perched spot on the bunk bed. Lincoln let it fall to the ground with a soft plop and laughed at Clyde's mock scornful expression.

"Don't answer that," Clyde said.

"Will do," Lincoln answered back with a false snide tone as he grabbed his pillow, turned off the desk lamp, tossed up the pillow to Clyde, and shimmied into the bottom bunk.

"G'night, Clyde," Lincoln called out as he shifted under the covers.

With a yawn, Clyde responded with, "Goodnight, Lincoln."

* * *

 _With that, Lincoln and Clyde doze off to bed, no doubt dreaming about the exciting adventures that would hopefully be just around the corner._

 _The next morning, after eating Pokémon Center-provided breakfast, Lincoln and Clyde check out of their room, intent on setting up camp in Santalune Forest…_

* * *

 _Aquacorde Town. June 11th, 2036. 8:13 AM._

With their belongings accounted for, Lincoln and Clyde walked out of the Pokémon Center, ready to initiate their plan. Lincoln pulled out the map from his backpack and pointed to the screen with the stylus, coaxing Clyde to come over to look at it, too.

"So, according to this map, the Santalune Forest is north of Aquacorde Town. We just have to leave town and leave the north exit towards Route 2. We should be there before noon if nothing gets in our way."

"And according to _From Recruit to Ranger_ ," Clyde said, "we should set up our camping site by a body of water. That way, we have a place where we can fish for food, clean up in, and wash our clothes in."

"Great idea," Lincoln replied and stuffed his map away back where he found it.

"This is it, Clyde. We're on our way to becoming our own men. Is this the best or what?"

Lincoln found that instead of agreeing, Clyde took on the same mocking grin that he had for Clyde right before he was about to tease him.

"I dunno, Lincoln. Last time I checked, men don't sleep with stuffed Buneary dolls."

Lincoln blanched, mouth hung open wide enough for a Wailord to get shoved into it. He hadn't slept with Bun-Bun last night, doing so on purpose so Clyde wouldn't know that he had brought him along. Even though Bun-Bun wasn't a secret to Clyde (they were best friends after all), Lincoln still wanted to come as as more…mature in the face of this exciting experience.

Evidently, _that_ wasn't going to happen anymore.

"Who told you I brought Bun-Bun with me?!" Lincoln asked frantically.

His heart sank when Clyde's grin only got bigger.

"You did. Just now, in fact."

"Bu-but I…y-you…I-I mean I just…"

Lincoln grumbled, flushing lightly as he realized that he had been played. He walked ahead of Clyde, who snickered loudly behind him as they headed towards where they knew Route 2 would be.

' _I am sooooooo going to get you for that one, Clyde. Just you wait.'_

* * *

 _And so, Lincoln Loud and Clyde McBride are set on the course for Santalune Forest, eager to officially begin their respective quests. With each step towards Route 2, no force in the universe can hope to deter them from moving forward._

 _But will their time in Santalune Forest be a welcoming and pleasant experience or will the next few weeks be filled with twists and turns that will test their mettle and clash with their resolve like never before?_

 _The next chapter of_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _will be just the beginning to see if the latter rings true!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Not to worry, folks. I think we only need one more "set-up" chapter before we start getting into (hopefully)more interactive, engaging territory. Just hang on and don't leave me behind.

Pwetty pwease? :(


	4. Camp It Up

**A/N:** If you've been paying attention to my work as of late, you would've seen me posting that I was sick. That means I didn't have the energy to write out this chapter and put it out more quickly. But by the looks of things, I'm updating this story at a reasonable level, methinks.

Oh, and also, I got bombarded by the discovery that this story is featured in the Fanfic Recs section of TLH TV Tropes page, and the first crossover at that. That is just…wow. Thanks for the recommendation. Means a lot to me.

But enough of the sap and sentiment, let's move on to _"Chapter 4: Camp It Up"._

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _At last, best friends, Lincoln Loud and Clyde McBride, have ventured out of their hometown of Vaniville, bidding farewell to their respective families as they embarked on their journey side by side. The two boys spent the night at the Pokémon Center in Aquacorde Town and once there, planned their next destination on where they'd be camping out for the next few weeks: Santalune Forest._

 _Now, as they head towards the forest, Lincoln finds that he has his hands full with a rather…distant problem…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: Camp It Up**

* * *

 _Route 2. June 11th, 2036. 10: 38 AM._

Route 2. Unlike what Lincoln and Clyde knew about routes from personal experience, Route 2 was much more scenic; outstretching grassy plains, trees littered about, skies full of Flying-type Pokémon, mountains erected from the earth from far away. Upon looking on either side of the gravely pathway, the nature around them seemed like it could stretch on for miles and given how long they had been walking since they left Aquacorde Town hours ago, that was a very realistic possibility.

However, for Lincoln Loud, he didn't have time to chew the scenery any further than he already did for he was far too busy on his Holo Caster, chatting it up with Lola for the first time since he had left home yesterday. Though, he was somewhat worried about the fact that he didn't call his family yesterday, Lola especially, he was sure that Lola could survive at least one night without hearing from her big brother.

Much to his surprise, though, as soon as he called in Lola's Holo Caster, he was greeted with her holographic face glaring at him, as if he had the audacity to act like he didn't mess up on a cosmological level.

"OH, SO _NOW_ YOU FINALLY DECIDE TO CALL ME, HUH?!" Lola yelled.

Lincoln winced, pulling back the device back and tried to give off his best mollifying expression that he could.

"Lola, come on, I-"

"NO EXCUSES! YOU PROMISED TO CALL ME AND YOU DIDN'T!"

Lincoln, though sympathetic with Lola's plight, was starting to get a tad bit fed up with her already. He thought that she had gotten over him leaving by now but by the sounds of it, she was still acting overly clingy and he hadn't even been gone for twenty-four hours yet! Was it really such a crime to not check in on her last night?

With a groan, Lincoln responded, "Lola, what do you mean? I'm doing it right now, aren't I?"

Anticipating another angry retort, Lincoln was completely taken off guard when Lola's hologram shyly submitted under the weight of his question and sniffled.

"Yeah, but…" Lola started to say but relented as her eyes began to water.

After five seconds of simply staring at Lincoln pleadingly, Lola spoke up again.

"B-but why didn't you do it yesterday after you left?"

All of Lincoln's indignation melted under the pressure of his brotherly instincts. Lola could be really, really annoying but when any of his sisters were sad, regardless of the circumstances, Lincoln was ready to take on the challenge of making them feel better about themselves. The fact that her angst revolved around him, no matter what his fault in the matter was, only stirred him to be as proactive as ever.

"Lola," Lincoln said softly, "it was just one night. Look, I'm here now so we can-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! LINCOLN HATES MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Lincoln eyes widened as he took a firmer grasp on his Holo Caster and he urged fervently, "Lola, wait! Come…"

The transmission cut before he could finish.

"…back."

Lincoln sighed irritably and shoved his Holo Caster back into his pocket, doing his best to ignore the snickering from Clyde, who apparently, was rather amused by the familial "drama" that just took place.

"I see you're having a grand old time at my expense," Lincoln groused half-heartedly.

"What? Can't a guy walk to Santalune Forest, with his best friend in the whole wide world, with a smile on his face?" Clyde asked innocuously.

Before Lincoln could retort with a quip of his own, he felt a tint trickle of sweat roll down his arm. Lincoln looked up and sure enough, the Sun was up and about, beating down on him heavily. He hadn't realized it that much before but now that the slight exhaustion of his long walk settled in, he could feel his clothes clinging to him from the adhesion of his sweat.

"I sure hope we get to Santalune Forest soon so we can find some shade under the trees," Lincoln said tiredly.

"Actually, Lincoln," Clyde corrected, "it wouldn't be the best idea for us to camp by too many trees."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why's that?"

"Well, according to _From Recruit to Ranger_ , we shouldn't set up camp near so many trees because we don't want to get in the thick of a possible forest fire in case any of the trees catch fire. Plus, Bug-type Pokémon can be extremely territorial of their turf and we could set them off if we get too close to them. Since most of them like making their homes either in trees or by trees, it'd be smart not to run the risk of triggering their aggressive behavior."

"Ah, who cares about a few Bug-types anyway?" Lincoln lightly scoffed with a hand wave. "They're weak to Fire-types like Fennekin. She can just burn them away."

"And possibly set the trees around us on fire in the process, thus trapping us in a vortex of unforgiving flames?" Clyde questioned.

Lincoln felt a blush spread across his face. He hadn't even thought of that.

"Oh," he chuckled. "Whoops."

"Let's just trust the wisdom of Ranger Lopez, okay?" Clyde suggested. "She really knows what she's talking about. Why, there's this one section of the book that teaches you how to use your poop as an emergency source of fuel for fire. It's pretty insightful."

"Let's…uh…hope it doesn't come to that," Lincoln said, resisting the urge to vomit.

Wanting to switch the conversation to another subject, and one that he was already curious about anyways, Lincoln asked, "Say, Clyde?"

"Yeah?"

"So, I've been wondering, you said that you brought your own Pokémon with you, right?"

Clyde nodded.

"Well, I haven't seen it since we've been together. Where is it exactly?"

Clyde pointed to the backpack he was hauling.

"In my backpack. It's in its Pokéball right now. As to why you haven't seen it? Well, I wanted to keep it a surprise from you until we set up camp. I even fed it last night and this morning while you weren't looking."

' _Well, whatever the Pokémon is, I sure hope its strong. Fennekin could use a good training partner,'_ Lincoln thought to himself before he focused on the path they were currently treading on.

Thinking about the distance they covered, Lincoln wanted to make sure that they still weren't too far off from their destination. Using the hand that wasn't holding his briefcase, he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his map, flipping it on and surveying where they were and how far from Santalune Forest they were.

Judging from their spot on the map, which was indicated by a red, blinking dot, and the area they were headed, which Lincoln marked with a gold star, in about another hour, they would be there.

"Looks like we don't have much time left until we get there," Lincoln said. "Let's pick up the pace so we can get started on setting up camp and we can eat."

"Sounds good to me," Clyde agreed and hurried along the path, running ahead of Lincoln.

"Hey, wait for me!" Lincoln chortled and quickly caught up to him.

* * *

 _And with a pep in their steps, the two friends continue to race down Route 2, hoping to get to Santalune Forest as fast as they can. Their efforts prove to be effectual as before they know it, they arrive at the entry of their destination…_

* * *

 _Entry of Santalune Forest. June 11th, 2036. 11:23 AM._

"And…h-here…we…are," Lincoln heaved with labored breath as he slouched forward and rested his hands on his knees.

Waiting for Clyde to catch up to him, Lincoln looked up and realized the magnitude of the forest that they were about to enter. From the entryway, Lincoln couldn't quite see what was within the thick of the forest but from what he could tell, the forest was massive.

Not only were trees, that blocked off the sunlight from raining down on him any further, large and imposing, but the sounds of different Pokémon species, chattering about loudly, indicated that this was an ecosystem of great distinction.

Before he could marvel any further, he finally heard footsteps approaching him from behind. He spun around and sure enough, Clyde was trundling along, doing his best not to completely keel over.

Lincoln had to admire Clyde's resolve; he knew he wasn't the fittest boy around yet here he was, embracing the elements as best he could.

"You good for the rest of the way, buddy?" Lincoln said to Clyde as he stood alongside him.

"Yeah," Clyde nodded. "I should be just fine. Let's just hope we find us a good spot before it gets too late."

"Right," Lincoln said and headed into the forest, this time, taking his time so Clyde wouldn't have to keep up with him any longer.

* * *

 _Two hours later…_

Though Lincoln was grateful that the shade of the towering trees was shielding off the blazing sunlight, a new problem had long ago set in for the poor boy.

His feet were absolutely sore, almost feeling as if his nerves were pressed against spikes. Every step he took, through the forest, seemingly exacerbated the dilemma twofold.

At first, things were quite easy and Lincoln, rather than think about food despite his growing hunger, simply walked by Clyde and took in the scenery, oohing and aahing at every penchant of nature that took them in. In fact, Lincoln was so mesmerized by his surroundings, that while Clyde led the charge of searching for a proper campsite, he was busy scanning every Pokémon that he came across with his Pokédex. From Caterpie to Scatterbug, by the time Lincoln finally decided that he had enough, he had scanned nearly ten different species. He thought about possibly catching them but because his Fennekin was untrained, he thought better of it.

Overall, though, Lincoln was having the time of his life.

But then, minutes flew by. Then more, then more, then more, then even more…until Lincoln realized that they had been searching for a long time. Way too long. Lincoln didn't complain at first, though. Clyde didn't seem to mind the taxing trek through Santalune Forest at all, a fact that put Lincoln in check; if Clyde could handle the walk, why couldn't he?

But now that two hours had flown by, Lincoln just had to say _something_ regarding his pain and overall discomfort of his experience. He felt that the soles of his feet were going to peel of any second now.

"Hey, Clyde?" Lincoln asked wearily to Clyde, who was walking in pace in front of him.

"Yeah?" Clyde replied without looking back.

"Does that handbook have anything about treating foot blisters? I'm pretty sure I've got a ton of 'em right now," Lincoln grumbled.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't."

"Great. _Juuuuuuust_ great."

Clyde chuckled. "Aw, come on, Lincoln. What's a manly expedition without a few hardships?"

Lincoln wanted to find this Dr. Lopez and give her a piece of his mind. Something in that book must've changed Clyde and although he was genuinely happy for Clyde's more robust attitude, that didn't mean that he had to get dragged along at his own ridiculous pace! Wasn't he the least bit tired?! Hungry?! ANYTHING?!

He bit back a frustrated growl, not wanting Clyde to think that he was at fault for his discomfort, especially since he was trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Besides, it wasn't his fault that they couldn't find a body of water to camp by, much like they had planned to do yesterday.

"I'll take any hardship I can as long as I can have a place to rest," Lincoln joked. "Heck, I'd rather take on an army of Scyther than walk another…"

Something caught his ears before he could finish. But unlike the crunching of sticks and dirt under his shoes or the chirping and chattering of Pokémon or the rustling of leaves from the trees, this noise was far less familiar than all of those things. In fact, if his ears weren't playing tricks on him, he could swear that what he was listening in on was the tranquil, steady waves of…water.

Clyde stopped in his tracks, having heard the noise for himself. He silently motioned for Lincoln to follow him, towards a thick array of bushes that blocked off whatever was on the other side. Once they approached the bushes, both boys poked their heads through and gasped at what they saw.

There, right in front of them, was a wide clearing of land, completely untouched by trees besides a few here and there. It was semi-circular in shape, with the bushes they were in making a firm border around the curve of the land's shape.

However, the thing that caught their attention the most was the fact that there, right the edge of the clearing's straight border, was a lake. It was everything that they had been looking for and as that realization dawned on Lincoln, he had forgotten all about everything that had been bothering him up to that point.

"Clyde, you seein' what I'm seein'?" Lincoln whispered excitedly.

"It's…it's a lake!" Clyde said jubilantly.

"Heck yeah, it is! And look!" Lincoln said as he pointed out to the chunk of land. "Look at all that wide space! It's the perfect place to set up camp!"

With their newfound camping site in check, Lincoln and Clyde stepped through the bushes and onto the land on the other side. Although there was no longer a thick jungle of trees to keep them cool, that downside paled in comparison to the upside of their new spot.

"Lincoln, this calls for a celebratory bro fist," Clyde remarked.

"Lay one on me, buddy," Lincoln replied as he outstretched his fist for Clyde.

After Clyde reciprocated Lincoln's gesture with his own fist, the two friends made their way towards the middle of the ground. Like Clyde, Lincoln scrutinized the area, wanting to see where they could set up camp. After some careful consideration, Lincoln spoke up when he felt that he had a suitable arrangement; the spot he was standing on, which was the closest to the lake, looked good to him.

"Alright, so I'm thinking that I set up my tent over here and you can pitch yours oveeeeeeeeer…" Lincoln pointed to a spot about ten feet from where he was standing, "there. Sound good?"

Clyde took a minute to look between his designated spot and Lincoln's. He nodded once he found everything to be fair.

"Sounds good to me," Clyde said.

With that settled, Lincoln shuffled off his backpack and placed it on the ground. He then took a hold of his briefcase with both hands, ready to operate the release function.

"Now then, I'm gonna have to ask you to stand back, Clyde," Lincoln said as he pointed the briefcase towards where Clyde was standing.

Once Clyde did as he was told, Lincoln went through the release routine and in a flash, everything that had been stored inside was dumped out, landing on the soft grass in a cluttered mountain of a heap. Clyde's three blue duffel bags rested a top of Lincoln's green suitcase. Next to that were two tent bags; the bigger, yellow one belonging to Clyde and the smaller, blue belonging to Lincoln's.

"That's a _looooot_ of stuff that we have to take care of," Clyde said, looking on in a mix of both awe and dread at the work he had ahead of him.

Lincoln took on a sympathetic outlook on Clyde's behalf. Though, it was Clyde's overexuberance that led him to pack so much, he was only trying to help the both of them out and beyond that, he was his friend. He deserved all the help he could get.

"Thankfully, it doesn't seem like I have to do that much. But don't worry, I'll be sure to give you a hand just in case I'm done before you," Lincoln assured.

Lincoln was taken aback when, instead of graciously accepting his offer, Clyde shook his head.

"Thanks, but I'm sure I can manage. Rangers have to be tough. If I can't even set up my own campsite on my own, what's the point of me being out here?"

Lincoln sighed, knowing full well that with Clyde in "Ranger mode", he wouldn't listen that well to reason.

"Well, if you insist," Lincoln listlessly retorted and headed over to his stuff. It wasn't going to unpack itself, after all.

* * *

 _Forty minutes later…_

"Phew," Lincoln said with relief as he looked on at Clyde shuffling in the last of his belongings, his humidifier, from his bag and into his propped up yellow tent. "Finally finished."

It had taken longer than they both thought but eventually, it had finally been done; their own campsite was finally finished. Lincoln had finished in a fourth of the time it took Clyde and while he waited for him to get done, he knew that his first order of business was getting Fennekin trained. He couldn't wait to see what she was capable of.

While he was in his daze, thinking about all of the things that Fennekin could possibly do at the end of his training routine, his stomach growled. Lincoln chuckled, knowing full well why. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and it had to have been way past noon by now. Even so, he cared more about Fennekin's training than anything else. Still, that didn't mean he had to starve.

"Hey, Clyde, you didn't bring other snacks besides that trail mix, did you?" Lincoln called out to Clyde, who was still in his tent.

At the sound of his name getting called out, Clyde popped his head out from inside the tent.

"Yeah. I brought some granola bars, raisins, and some peanut brittle. Why?"

"Mind tossing me a granola bar or two?" Lincoln asked, liking the sound of a granola bar right now.

Clyde gave him an incredulous look at his request.

"I mean, I _could_ do that for you and all but aren't you…I dunno, starving? I don't think 'a granola bar or two' is really gonna help."

"True, but I don't want to go fishing for food until around late afternoon. Plus, I want to get started on Fennekin's training right away."

With a shrug, Clyde did as he was asked, going back into his tent and grabbing two granola bars for Lincoln. Sticking his upper half out of his tent again, Clyde tossed them over to Lincoln, who stood a good five feet away from him. Upon catching them, instead of eating them right away, Lincoln stuffed them into the front pocket of his tracksuit and upon doing so, happened to look at his Pokéball belt.

"Oh, speaking of Fennekin and food, I think it's about time that we fed our Pokémon," Lincoln told Clyde.

"Good call," Clyde said and retreated into his tent once more, evidently to grab some food and get his Pokémon.

Upon seeing him do so, Lincoln decided to enter his own tent, a dome-shaped blue one that was more wide than tall, unlike Clyde's, which was more narrow but tall. When he did, he found what he was looking for, his backpack and the kibble that he had stuffed in there. Once he got the kibble out of his backpack and placed it by his side, he reached into the side pocket and retrieved his trusty Pokédex and switched it on.

"But first, I'm gonna have her registered into the Attackdex and Abilitydex feature on my Pokédex," Lincoln said to himself as he unclipped Fennekin's Pokéball from his belt and pressed the middle white button to make it grow.

With that step done, Lincoln held up the Pokéball close to the Pokédex screen and scanned it. After a few seconds, the Pokédex's screen lit up with a translucent green hue and flashed the words "REGISTRATION COMPLETE". After committing to the registration, Lincoln clipped the Pokéball, still in its enlarged state, back onto the belt. He then took the Pokédex and shuffled it away where he put the granola bars earlier.

"Just like the good Professor told me," Lincoln said as he thought back to Professor's Spruce's lecture from yesterday.

* * *

" _Attackdex? Abilitydex? What're those?" Lincoln asked Professor Spruce, who was standing before him and pointing at the Pokédex he was holding onto._

 _Since he was going through his Pokédex tutorial, the girl genius decided to give him information about the technological attachments that she referred to as the "AttackDex" and "AbilityDex"._

 _Taking her time to push her glasses up her nose, Professor Spruce exposited about them in her stoic, bored manner._

" _Those are Pokédex features that will enable you to train your Pokémon effectively. As you probably know, every Pokémon is imbued with a specific plethora of offensive and defensive moves. They also have innate abilities that can passively influence the tide of battle either against their favor or towards it._

 _The function of a Pokédex is to ensure that a Trainer is supplemented with information about a specific Pokémon's natural habitat, disposition, and biology. However, when it comes to teaching them how to battle, that all comes down to a Trainer's unique approach. In order to make that process easier, I upgraded my Pokédexes with an encyclopedia on every known ability and attack that's ever been publicly recorded in official tournaments from the past fifty years. It's safe to say that they're sufficiently complete."_

 _Lincoln blinked, completely baffled at what he had just been told. There was…absolutely no way she got any sleep at all, did she? Certainly, not at the level that a four-and-a-half-year-old should._

" _Um, no offense, Professor Spruce," Lincoln asked with a joking grin, "but how much time did you have on your hands to pull all of that stuff off?"_

 _Professor Spruce rolled her eyes at the quip, no doubt finding it juvenile._

" _Please, I had those databases collected in the time it takes for my 'nappy time' to conclude."_

 _Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that all he was gifted with wasn't at the expense of a young girl being out through her paces beyond moral levels. He couldn't imagine sleeping a wink with the knowledge that it was at the expense of his mentor._

" _Anyways," the Professor continued, "the Attackdex and Abilitydex will reveal the potential respective properties of whatever Pokémon is registered in your Pokédex._

 _Once registered, that unqiue Pokémon will be featured next to every possible move it can learn on the Attackdex. It will also show off the moves that the Pokémon knows right off the bat. As a Pokémon grows stronger, it will naturally acclimate to certain new moves without learning them, although there will be exceptions. It's up to you, as a Trainer, to figure out what those exceptions are as you train your Pokémon. If you want to see what new moves your Pokémon have mastered, you can simply scan them with your Pokédex._

 _For the Abilitydex, it will reveal its ability outright instead of simply displaying all of its potential abilities, although it does that as well. In addition, there are certain cases where specific Pokémon harbor additional abilities called 'Hidden Abilities'. Although the Abilitydex has those abilities in the database, it will not reveal if your Pokémon has a Hidden Ability or, if they happen to have one, what it is. I figured it'd be a greater learning experience for you to figure that one out on your own."_

 _Lincoln marveled at what he had just been told but above all else, found the news exciting. He'd have his Pokémon's strength and progress monitored in a convenient package and on top of that, have such a myriad of different possibilities and combinations that he'd be able to teach them, thus eliminating any unnecessary baggage and skipping over to what was important._

" _So, all I have to do is scan the Pokémon like I'd normally do and then the Attackdex and Abilitydex will show off what its capable of?" Lincoln asked, wanting to confirm if it was just as easy as that._

" _Noooooot quite," Professor Spruce corrected, ignoring Lincoln's confused expression. "While it is true that the Attackdex and Abilitydex will do as advertised and reveal a Pokémon's capabilities, it, however, will not commit to the revelation without proper registration. In other words, simply scanning the Pokémon will not be enough. You must register it under a specific method."_

" _And that is?" Lincoln wondered._

" _When your desired Pokémon is in its designated Pokéball, all you must do is scan it. To do this, the Pokéball must be within the range of no greater than an inch away from the screen."_

 _Lincoln wondered if that sounded needlessly complicated to the Professor because it sure did seem that way to him. He didn't doubt his mentor's brilliance but this seemed like a very egregious design flaw._

" _So…the only difference is that the Pokémon is in its Pokéball and that it has to be closer to you?" Lincoln asked._

" _Exactly."_

" _But Professor, doesn't that sound just a little bit too…I dunno, unnecessary? Why not just reveal all of this information right from the start with a normal scan?"_

 _Professor Spruce shook his head and sighed._

" _It's a matter of morality, Lincoln," she stated matter-of-factly._

" _What's that mean?" Lincoln asked with a shrug._

" _Since you were ignorant to a Pokédex's existence until today, I can safely surmise that you aren't exactly privy to the unspoken conduct that a Pokédex user abides by in battle, correct?" Professor Spruce estimated sharply._

" _I, uh, I guess," Lincoln admitted._

" _To put it simply, Pokédexes can be used to scan an opponent's Pokémon before a battle officially starts. In order to not create an unfair advantage for the Pokédex user, more often than not, the Pokédex models will only provide the Trainer will the basic biological information that a standard Pokédex usually does and nothing more. I've implemented the same standard as well but without depriving the Trainer with the ability and attack encyclopedias."_

 _Without another word from his Professor, Lincoln stood there, trying to imagine why, despite her good intentions, that the Pokémon would need to be in its Pokéball and all up close to the Pokédex for things to be fair._

 _Needless to say, it didn't take long for his sharp mind to pick up on why after he imagined a mock battle scenario in his head._

" _Oh, I get it! So, the only time I'd be able to register Pokémon for the Attackdex and Abilitydex is if they'd be in a Pokéball, meaning that in the heat of battle, there wouldn't be a chance for me to properly do it and give myself a leg up," Lincoln said proudly._

 _He beamed with pride when Professor Spruce nodded and smiled back at him._

" _A profound and correct observation, my young intern. You might just make a worthy lab assistant of mine one of these days."_

* * *

With his mind in the present, Lincoln tugged out the kibble bag out of the tent until he a few feet away from it. With a few gentle shakes, Lincoln poured out a substantial heap of kibble out on the grass for his Fennekin to enjoy.

After preparing Fennekin's feast, Lincoln knew that there was only one thing left to do. He unclipped Fennekin's Pokéball from his belt and tossed it at the ground, shouting, "Time for food, Fennekin!"

After the red beam dissipated, there sat Fennekin, taking in all of her new surroundings cautiously. If Lincoln had to hazard a guess, he figured that Fennekin had never been in a forest before or if she did, she hardly remembered, hence the apprehensive scrutiny. However, once she turned around in Lincoln's direction, her tail wagged excitedly and a big smile broke out on her face.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin cried out.

Lincoln gave his Pokémon a friendly wave as she seemingly ran to him.

"Hey, Fennekin, long time, no…"

Instead of running into his arms like he both expected and wanted, Fennekin zoomed right past him towards one of the trees that was a good ten feet away from him or so. Lincoln looked on as Fennekin ran towards the tree until she stopped right underneath the shade and began to nibble on the one twig that had been laid out next to the base of the trunk, munching away happily without a care in the world.

"It's, uh, good to see you, too, Fennekin," Lincoln said with a sad laugh.

' _Guess I can't be too sad. After all, according to the Pokédex, Fennekin really digs twigs.'_

After (mostly) getting over his hurt feelings, realizing that Fennekin didn't mean to give him the cold shoulder, Lincoln noticed that Clyde had come out of his tent, carrying a Pokéball in his left hand.

"Well, uh, since Fennekin's getting her fill on twigs, I guess your Pokémon can have this share of the kibble," Lincoln said to Clyde as he walked over to where he stood.

"Cool. Just gimme a sec to bring him out," Clyde replied and largened his Pokéball before tossing it out a few feet ahead of him.

Once the Pokéball hit the ground, Lincoln hurriedly pulled out his Pokédex and switched it on, waiting for the red light to unsheathe and reveal what the silhouette of Clyde's Pokémon revealed. Once it did, Lincoln smiled from ear-to-ear at the creature that had been unveiled before his eyes.

"Rawr!" the Pokémon barked.

It was a light brown, canine Pokémon with a short snout. Its face had long, cream fur, which formed a mustache and a three-pointed crest. Its ears were large and perked, and it had a black nose. It had shaggy dark blue fur covering its body and short tail. Finally, it had four short legs, with three-toed paws.

What took Lincoln back the most about the Pokémon was how…stern and attentive it looked, almost as if it were ready to commit to any cause that its Trainer would give it. In other words, it exuded loyalty.

Not wanting to be kept in the dark any longer, Lincoln scanned the creature that was stood by and waited for Clyde to approach him.

" _ **Herdier, the Loyal Dog Pokémon, and the evolved form of Lillipup. This faithful and obedient species of Pokémon have been known to assist Trainers in raising other Pokémon. Its black fur acts like armor against an opponent's attacks.**_

 _ **This Herdier is a Male."**_

Once Clyde was side-by-side with his Herdier, he proudly told Lincoln, "Lincoln, as your nifty little Pokédex already informed you, this is Herdier. He's a great hand to have around. Trust me."

Though Lincoln certainly didn't doubt his friend on that one, he still wanted to have a good idea on what Herdier could do.

"Is that so?" Lincoln asked in a playfully challenging tone. "What can he do?"

"Well, he's not as fully capable as I want him to be but all the same, he tries to follow through with my commands as best he can. Watch."

Kneeling on both knees, Clyde gave Herdier a few pats on the head until he was looking up at his owner dutifully.

"Herdier, go get the blue ball," Clyde ordered with gusto.

In an instant, Herdier ran into to Clyde's tent, intent on following his order. Clyde stood up from the ground and awaited his Herdier to complete his task. His heart sank when Herdier returned with a ball in his mouth…but not quite the one he wanted. He plopped it down in front of Clyde, who still gave Herdier a pet behind the ears.

"Dang it. He got the green one again," Clyde sad with a hint of disappointment, "Ah well, at least he got a ball this time. When I first started to train him, he'd get a bell instead of a ball."

Picking the ball up, Clyde looked down at his Herdier once more.

"Okay then, Herdier, see that food over there?" he asked as he pointed Lincoln's kibble. "Go eat."

Letting out an excited yelp, Herdierd bounded towards the kibble. Once he got to it, he began scarfing it down immediately, not giving Lincoln any mind at all.

"Heh, now _that's_ a command he doesn't have a problem following through with," Clyde joked.

Through all of this, Lincoln had to wonder when Clyde got him. He had been over his house before and didn't recall seeing him at all. Besides his usual pets, Cleopawtra the Delcatty and Nepurrtiti the Espurr, Herdier never seemed to pop up at all whenever he was around.

Turning to Clyde, Lincoln asked him, "When'd you get him? I've never seen him around your house before."

"At a kennel in Aquacorde Town a few months ago," Clyde began to explain. "When I told my dads about my Ranger training, the dad I'm living with now suggested that I get a Herdier since they're super loyal and could really be a good help to me out here, what with retrieval, rescue, and whatnot. So, after we picked him up, we had him registered in a few training classes to get him up to speed. After about a month of that, I began training him myself to get him 'Ranger-ready'."

"And as to why I haven't seen him?" Lincoln asked, still not satisfied with that answer not addressing that particular issue.

"I, uh, hid him from you," Clyde said somewhat hesitantly.

O…kaaaaaaay. That was the least anticipated response that Lincoln felt that Clyde could've given him. But still, all the same, Lincoln had to know one thing.

" _Why?_ "

It took a little bit for Clyde to answer honestly, but when he did, his voice had a solemn, somber edge to it.

"Well…let's just say that the reason that Herdier was in a kennel in the first place was because he had an…aggressive streak. According to the files that the kennel had about him, he'd get really hostile towards people he didn't really know too well and even though he went through training, before I brought him home, I still didn't want him interacting with strangers until I knew I could trust him."

Lincoln nearly gasped. Now that made sense. All the same, though, it was hard to imagine any Pokémon of Clyde's being hostile and aggressive. But what made this revelation all the more amazing was the fact that Herdier did a complete 180° and Clyde must've had something to do with it. Overall, it was a testament to how Clyde was as a trainer.

"I guess that makes sense," Lincoln said after mulling the story over a bit in his head.

Before Clyde could say anything, Herdier ran back to his side, wagging his tail excitedly. Both boys looked over to where Herdier was just eating and realized that all the food was gone.

"Done already, boy?" Clyde asked Herdier, already knowing the answer.

"Her!" Herdier barked enthusiastically.

Taking that answer as permission to initiate something new for the day, Clyde said, "Alright, Herdier, now that you're full, we're gonna step up our training today. Today, we're gonna look for berries and you're gonna help me sniff 'em out, okay?"

"Her! Her!" Herdier replied all the more exuberant.

"That's what I wanna hear!" Clyde replied, matching Herdier's eagerness. "Let's go!"

"Wait!"

Before Clyde and Herdier could go anywhere, Lincoln called out to them. He couldn't let Clyde leave, not without giving him a convenient way of finding the campsite. The last thing he wanted was for him to get lost. They had but a small taste of how large Santalune Forest today and Lincoln refused to let Clyde go through that again.

Bolting into his tent, Lincoln took out his electronic map, turned it on, and made a gold star marker on the coordinates they were presently standing on, effectively locking in the location of campsite for reference. With that done, he ran back out to Clyde and held out the map for him to grab.

"Here's my map. I've just put a marker on the campsite. Just follow the coordinates to get back here."

Clyde just smiled and pushed the map away from him.

"That won't be necessary. My Herdier's got a great sense of smell. He can find our way back without a problem."

"Seriously, Clyde, just take the map," Lincoln growled. "I promise that you won't be any less of a Ranger if you decide to use it. I'm pretty sure that even Rangers use maps.

Clyde could clearly see that Lincoln was not in the mood to take "no" for an answer and rather than get into an argument with Lincoln over the subject, just decided to comply with him.

"Alright, Lincoln, if it'll put you at ease, I'll take the map," Clyde sighed and took it from Lincoln's possession.

After stuffing into his pocket, Clyde turned to Herdier and declared, "Well then, Herdier, let the berry hunt begin!"

After that, the duo shuffled inside Clyde's tent, presumably to grab some supplies, and then made a tear into the forest through the bushes. Lincoln watched as his friend disappeared and at that moment, his mind focused on his own Pokémon.

"Guess it's time to start on my own training with Fennekin," Lincoln said resolutely as he turned to walk over to Fennekin, who was still eating her twig without giving much notice to anyone else.

Once he was standing before her, Lincoln asked, "Hey, Fennekin?"

Fennekin immediately stopped chewing on her twig to look up at her Trainer.

"Fen?" Fennekin yipped inquisitively.

"You wanna get started on training now?" Lincoln asked, hoping that Fennekin's love for twigs wouldn't completely overshadow her eagerness for battle training.

Fennekin just continued to stare at Lincoln and Lincoln had an inkling of Fennekin's conflict in all of this, almost as if she didn't want to disappoint her Trainer by disobeying but wanted nothing more than to eat her twig.

"Lemme guess, you wanna finish up with your twig?" Lincoln asked with a sigh.

His heart sank when Fennekin gave him a tiny, shy nod but nonetheless, Lincoln knew he had to make his intentions for her firm and clear.

"Alright, fine but after you're done, we've gotta get you prepped for the Gym in Santalune City. I wanna get going there as soon as this year's Lumiose Conference is finished and by then, I want you to be as strong as you can get."

He began to tremble when Fennekin stared at him under the pretense of her inner conflict; obedience vs. indulgence. Lincoln began to wonder if Fennekin really didn't want to train but would rather just eat twigs and sleep all day. Sure, she may not have looked like much, at least compared to more popular and powerful Pokémon, but Lincoln was certain that she would be up for training all the same.

Before Lincoln could throw in the towel and quit, a thought came to him, just as his eyes scanned the tree they were standing under. It was mostly covered with bright green leaves, save for a few branches that were bare. And, of course, those branches also had twigs attached to the end.

With the swiftness of an Aipom, at least in Lincoln's mind, Lincoln scaled the tree to reach to the closest dry branch within his reach, which was only about eight feet off the ground. Without losing his grip, he snapped off a good number of twigs off the branch and let them flutter towards the ground, right in front of Fennekin. Almost as quickly as he climbed up, he scaled back down the trunk and scooped up the bundle of twigs in one hand before snapping his fingers to draw Fennekin's attention back on him.

"Tell you what, Fennekin, if you follow up on your training, after you're done, I'll let you have all the twigs you want. That sound good?"

Much to Lincoln's delight, Fennekin's eyes twinkled and she began running about in circles.

"Fennekin! Fennekin! Feeeeeeeeennekin!" the Fox Pokémon agreed with the energy of a unanimous decision from an entire council of officials.

"Atta girl!" Lincoln beamed, taking the twigs and storing him into his tracksuit's front pocket but not before tossing her one of them at her paws as a sign of good faith.

With his hands still in his pocket, Lincoln pulled out a granola bar along with his Pokédex. Giving special attention to his Pokédex, Lincoln turned it on and sifted through the entries of Pokémon he scanned until he got to Fennekin's profile; the only Pokémon that he registered for the Attackdex and Abilitydex. He needed to have an idea on Fennekin's capabilities and what she could do in battle.

Taking a seat next to Fennekin, as she munched at the twig Lincoln just tossed her, Lincoln opened the granola bar's package and took a bite of it, all while looking at the Pokédex screen.

' _Now then, let's see what we have here…'_

* * *

 _10 minutes later..._

The Abilitydex and Attackdex were very similar in design. Each encyclopedic database had a list of every available attack and ability that Professor Spruce collected, which in Lincoln's mind, meant that she hadn't skipped over anything at all. Having already checked Fennekin's ability, Lincoln skipped over to the Attackdex, wanting to ensure that there wasn't anything else he wanted to add to Fennekin's training regime for the day.

' _So, according to the Abilitydex, it looks like Fennekin has the Blaze ability, meaning that if she's really banged up, Fire-type moves will increase in power by up to fifty percent.'_

Lincoln gave Fennekin's moves another check and found nothing else he wanted Fennekin to learn for now but felt it necessary to give himself a recap of what he had decided on before.

' _And, judging by the Attackdex, looks like Fennekin knows Scratch, Howl, and Ember. Since Howl just increases the power behind an attack for a short period of time, I don't need to train her how to use that. And since she knows Scratch and Ember already, I don't need to focus entirely on those moves, although getting them stronger wouldn't hurt, either._

 _So, based on what Fennekin can learn, there's only one move that I really want to focus on her learning and that's Flame Charge. It increases her speed and it gives her a close-range Fire-type attack that compliments Ember, which she can use from a distance. She may not be strong enough to use Flame Charge now but as long as we can learn it before we hit Santalune City, I know we'll have the badge in the bag.'_

With that last train of thought complete, Lincoln brought himself back to reality and found that Fennekin was finished with her twig and was looking up at Lincoln expectantly. With a smile, Lincoln stood up and declared, "Alright, Fennekin, let's get ready to train 'til you gain!"

"Fennekin!" Fennekin agreed with a cocky expression on her face.

With a nod, Lincoln pointed at the ground.

"Fennekin, let's see how your Scratch looks! Use it on the ground beneath you!"

Anticipating some serious fireworks, Lincoln stood a respectable distance, about five feet away, as he prepared for Fennekin to give her all into her Scratch.

"Fenneeeeeeeeeee…" Fennekin steadily bellowed.

In that moment, her tiny front paws began to glow white, packed to the brim with kinetic energy. Lincoln looked on in amazement as Fennekin stood up on her hind legs momentarily before shifting her bodyweight down at the ground, her brightened paws aimed towards her target.

"Kin!" Fennekin yelled as she swiped both paws at the ground, blazing a small path through the earth as her paws dug up chunks of dirt and grass from the wake of her practiced attack.

Lincoln shielded his face from the specks of debris that flew in his direction but despite the inconvenience, was all too giddy about Fennekin's power. He knew that Scratch was nothing to write home about but the fact that it was his Pokémon that did it, made such a mundane, underappreciated move look cool.

Once her objective was finished, Lincoln ran up to the streak that Fennekin made and judged its depth. It wasn't really all that long, only about three feet in length and it didn't uproot as much earth as he wanted but all the same, he was genuinely elated by Fennekin's strength.

"Woah! Not bad, Fennekin! It's even better than I thought it'd be for your first try!" Lincoln extolled.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin yipped excitedly, letting steam pour out of her ears.

Lincoln laughed. "Those twigs must've really pumped you up, huh?"

He immediately regretted mentioning "twigs" when Fennekin broke out of her battle-ready demeanor and began to drool slightly out of the corner of her mouth.

"W-wait, hold on!" Lincoln begged as he waved his hands in front of him frantically. "Let's not get in those twigs until after we've had you trained all the way, okay?"

Lincoln sighed in relief when Fennekin agreed, albeit not without a bratty huff.

' _Okay, Lincoln, note to self: be careful with the 't' word around Fennekin.'_

With that hurdle cleared, Lincoln decided to continue with the Scratch training. This time, though, he wanted Fennekin to use it against an object with more resistance than the soft, pliant earth. He stumbled upon the perfect spot after looking around his surrounding for a little bit.

"Fennekin, I want you to use Scratch the same way you just did, only this time, I want you to use it on that tree," Lincoln instructed while pointing to the tree that they were just resting under.

"Kin?" Fennekin said with the tilt of the head.

"That's right. Use it on that tree. Keep at it until I tell you to stop. Then, once you're done with that, you can take a quick break before we move onto the next part."

With that, Fennekin did as she was told, running up to the tree and leaping up at it to slash at the bark of the trunk with Scratch. Lincoln sat back and watched as Fennekin faithfully followed through with her orders and was impressed with what Fennekin could do. He didn't know how long it had been since she started but really, all he wanted to note as how many Scratches Fennkin could commit to before being visibly worn out.

After the fifteenth Scratch, Lincoln began to see Fennekin tiring; her ears bean to flop, her breath was more labored, her teeth gritted together, and her tiny legs began to shake. Before she could hop up and Scratch at the tree again, Lincoln called out, "Okay, Fennekin, that's enough! Come back here!"

Doing as she was told, Fennekin wearily wobbled over to Lincoln and upon reaching her owner's feet, flopped to her side and panted.

Taking out two twigs, Lincoln placed them by Fennekin.

"Here," Lincoln said warmly. "You deserve a couple of these for all your hard work."

The boy stood in stunned silence when Fennekin scarfed down each twig in the blink of an eye.

"Dang, Fennekin, you must've been more worn out than I thought! At least you're committing to the training, though!"

With more fuel in her belly, Fennekin rose to her feet with newfound vigor and blew steam out of her ears to show off how pumped up she was.

"You ready for the next part?" Lincoln asked.

"Kin!" Fennekin chirped, clearly chomping at the bit to get started.

Without thinking, Lincoln pointed to the tree she just scratched the trunk up with and yelled, "Alright, Fennekin, go use Ember on that-"

Before he could finish the thought, Lincoln thought of the likely scenario of Fennekin burning down the tree and watching helplessly as the flames ate it up. Scratching the tree was one thing but downright burning it, and possibly setting the entire campsite on fire along with it, did not seem like a good idea.

"On second thought, how's about you just use Ember up in the sky?" Lincoln chuckled weakly as he pointed upwards.

Fennekin followed Lincoln's finger and doing as instructed, Fennekin's mouth opened and Lincoln watched in anticipation as orange fire began to fill up her mouth. After being filled to the brim with fire, Fennekin gave a might shout of her name and shot it out of her mouth, the fireball streaking through the air before finally dissipating in a shower of tiny sparks.

"Awesome! That's the best-looking Ember I've ever seen!" Lincoln said, speaking more out of excitement than a truthful observation.

"Fenne!" Fennekin cheered at the praise she got.

Lincoln, while happy, wasn't done with Fennekin just yet. Like Scratch, he wanted to know what her limit was with Ember, especially considering that he knew that being a Fire-type, Fennekin's Fire-type moves were more powerful than any other type of move she could learn.

"So, how about we shoot out some more up in the sky?" Lincoln instructed, pointing up much like he did before.

"Kiiiiiiin!" Fennekin responded energetically.

Once more, Fennekin shot up another Ember up into the air. Once it dissipated, Lincoln cried out, "And again!"

Another Ember spat out, although Lincoln could tell that Fennekin was beginning to tire out again from how slow this one was compared to the last two. Still, Lincoln felt that Fennekin could handle one more.

"One more time, Fennekin!"

With a tiny yelp, Fennekin spat out her fourth Ember and upon doing so, stumbled and fell on the ground in a tired heap.

"Alright, we're good, Fennekin," Lincoln said and bent down to give Fennekin another twig, placing it by her mouth so she wouldn't have to go far and eat it.

"Fe…nne…kin," Fennekin panted wearily and scooted up to the twig and gave it a few timid bites.

"I'm proud of you, girl. Way to hustle," Lincoln said and petted Fennekin's head a few times.

' _Looks like her limit is four Embers. Plus, they weren't really all that fast on the draw. But that's okay, I know you can do better. We just have to keep practicing.'_

Lincoln broke out of his thoughts to look down at Fennekin, whom by now, had almost finished her twig. It was then that Lincoln realized that Fennekin didn't have much left in the tank and feeding her twigs to combat her lack of energy wouldn't hold out for long. She needed genuine rest soon and he was dead set on giving to her…

But not before seeing how capable she was of using Flame Charge. To Lincoln, it was a trump card in the making and he just had to see how far she had to go to learning it or if she already had it down pat.

"Okay, Fennekin," Lincoln said to Fennekin once he saw that her twig munching was done, "this will be the final part of your training for today. Let's give it our best, alright?"

"Fenne…kiiiiiiiiin!" Fennekin sounded off, slightly tired.

"Okay, Fennekin, I want you to try and use Flame Charge!" Lincoln bellowed vigorously.

"Fenne?" Fennekin said hesitantly.

Lincoln, though disappointed by Fennekin's lack of aptitude towards the order, supposed it made sense. After all, it was a move that Fennekin probably didn't know or if she did, wasn;t well versed in using it at all.

"Yeah! Let's see if you got what it takes, alright?!" Lincoln asked, trying to get Fennekin hyped up.

It worked with some minor success as Fennkin nodded in compliance. Lincoln's eager smile got even wider.

"Good, now, just use Flame Charge towards that lake over there, okay?" Lincoln told her as he pointed out to the lake. "But stop just before you run over the edge."

After taking in the magnitude of her owner's request, Fennekin responded with a hearty, "Fennekin!"

' _This is great,'_ Lincoln thought. _'This'll teach Fennekin how to control Flame Charge and stop herself before her speed gets too much for her and she goes out of control. Plus, since it's a good distance between this spot and the lake, hopefully, Fennekin can show the endurance to make the distance. Control and endurance. That's the name of the game, Fennekin. Let's see what you're made of.'_

Pointing at the lake with aplomb, Lincoln yelled out, "Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

The second the last word left his lips, Fennekin's body began to shake slightly as a trickling, bright red, fiery aura began to leak out of her body. Soon, her entire body was outlined with smoldering flames and just when it seemed like everything was going well…

The flames immediately died out and a staggering Fennekin fell over, her head slamming into the ground roughly. Lincoln was at Fennekin's side in a hurry and scooped her up in his arms, bringing her close to his face.

"Fennekin, are you alright?!"

Fennekin cracked an eye open, revealing the tired glaze that hid behind her eyelids.

"Fe…fenne…" was all she could respond with.

Guilt began to awash Lincoln and his eyes began cropping with tears. He hadn't meant to put Fennekin through this, pushing her so far that she's outright collapse.

"I'm sorry, girl! I didn't want to push you too far, I swear!"

Despite his intentions, Lincoln couldn't help but let a few tears trickle out of his now squeezed eyelids. What kind of Trainer did this to their Pokémon, pushing them and pushing them until they nearly fainted? Here he was, thinking that he'd be some amazing Trainer after months and months of hard work but he couldn't even go one day without going too far and letting his Fennekin suffer from his inexperience.

She probably hated him now and no amount of twig bribing was going to change that.

"Kiiiiiiin."

He opened his misty eyes and looked down to see Fennekin staring up at him, her weary, soft eyes not looking the least bit judgmental or scornful. Despite thinking that he didn't deserve better, Lincoln asked with hope, "You…you forgive me?"

"Fennekin," his Pokémon replied softly and craned her neck up to lick at the tears that clung to his cheeks.

Lincoln giggled, both at how Fennkin's tongue tickled him and at how grateful he was that Fennekin didn't hold his mistreatment of her against him. All the same, Lincoln knew that he'd have to be more careful and not take Fennekin's kindness for granted. He _would_ do better next time.

"That's a relief," Lincoln said. "You can have the rest of the twigs, okay? You did an awesome job today, Fennekin."

With that, Lincoln carried Fennekin over to the scratched-up tree, intent on resting while he waited for Clyde to show up with his berries.

' _I'm sorry, Fennekin. I really am. I…I guess I got a little carried away today. I promise that we won't train with Flame Charge again until you've gotten a little stronger. But for now, let's take it easy.'_

* * *

 _And take it easy, Lincoln and Fennekin most certainly did. For the next few hours, Lincoln and Fennekin simply rested against the trunk of Fennein's practice tree, taking in the surroundings of the scenery._

 _And, of course, all the while, Lincoln couldn't help but spoil his little friend and give her another twig or two after being given the "sparkly sad eyes" treatment. It was after realizing, that he had been caught under her spell, that Lincoln realized that Fennekin was far more dangerous than he gave her credit for…_

* * *

 _Santalune Forest. June 11th, 2036. 4:32 PM_

"Hey, Lincoln," Lincoln heard Clyde call out to him.

Sure enough, there was Clyde, walking out to him while carrying his knapsack, which by the looks of things, was full of berries. His Herdier followed closely behind him, his eyes not leaving the bag once. Lincoln looked down at Fennekin, who was curled up between his legs and gave her a tiny scratch under the chin before he addressed Clyde.

"Oh, hey, Clyde. How'd your berry hunt go?" Lincoln asked when Clyde and Herdier stood before them.

"Berry _hunts,_ " Clyde remarked with a bit of disdain. "Thanks to a certain Herdier, we had to take multiple trips to different berry patches because he couldn't control himself and ate half the rations I painstakingly plucked out with each bush we came upon. Plus, some Weedle were giving us a little trouble."

Lincoln's eyes widened and he hurriedly got to his feet to give his friend a once over.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?!" Lincoln asked in alarm.

Clyde chortled at the query, almost as if Lincoln had asked him some bizarre question that shouldn't even need answering.

"Pssh, naw. Herider took care of all of 'em. We got ambushed by four of them but Herider here took care of them by himself," Clyde beamed with pride.

"Her," Herdier barked.

Lincoln looked at Herdier, now more impressed with him than he was before. Defending himself against four Pokémon at once, even if they weren't big and imposing, was certainly a feat worthy of praise.

' _So, Herdier can fight, too, huh? I should ask Clyde if he can help Fennekin with her train-'_

Lincoln's growling stomach held him off from finishing his sentence. It both took him by surprise, by the nature of the spontaneity, and came as expected, given how long it had been since he had eaten something substantial.

"Looks like I've been holding off on food for too long. Time for some fishing," Lincoln said as he went towards his tent to retrieve his fishing rod.

A thought stopped him from going far and it all concerned his Fennekin, the Pokémon that he instinctively picked to be his fishing partner. That now seemed like a horrible idea that more that prospect settled with him.

"Hey, uh, Clyde?" Lincoln asked while turning back to him.

"Yeah?"

"You mind if I use Herdier as my fishing partner?"

Clyde shrugged. "Why?"

"Fennekin is a Fire-type and she's at a disadvantage against Water-types. Plus, she's had enough action for today, with all of her training, and I don't want to hurt her by wearing her out."

Clyde hummed in agreement, finding total sense in Lincoln's sentiments.

"Good call," Clyde said. "You fish and Herdier and I will take over once you reel something in."

Before Lincoln, Herdier, and Clyde could be on their way to do some fishing by the lake, Fennekin suddenly ran up to them and blocked their path to Lincoln's tent.

"Fennekin?" Fennekin mewled pleadingly.

Clyde didn't know what to make of Fennekin's behavior but Lincoln thought he got the gist of it. Walking over to Fennekin, he squatted down to the ground and looked down at her lovingly.

"Sorry, Fennekin, but you gotta sit this one out, okay?"

"Kiiiiiiiin," Fennekin whined with dropping ears.

Lincoln melted, wanting to give in to whatever Fennekin's little heart desired but knew that leaving her out was for the best for now.

"Aw, don't be like that, Fennekin," Lincoln begged. "I promise that one of these days, you can come with us and help us fish but for now, just stay behind, okay?"

Though Fennekin's pleading gaze didn't falter, she complied regardless after a moment's hesitation.

"Fennekin," Fennekin spoke out in a more chipper tone than before but not one that betrayed her sadness regardless.

With that, the trio moved past her and Fennekin shuffled back to the tree, curling back in a ball and letting out a sigh as she waited for her Trainer to come back to her.

* * *

 _One hour later…_

"Stew's on!" Clyde yelled out.

Lincoln rolled his eyes, standing up from against the tree that he and Fennekin were resting under earlier before Clyde came back. Fennekin, who was sitting by her Trainer the whole time, stood up along with him.

He didn't know what on Earth took Clyde so long to finally put together his homecooked dinner but he was glad that he no longer had to wait. Soon after he and Clyde's Herdier subdued a Corphish, instead of letting Lincoln gut it in peace, Clyde insisted on setting up a campfire and using his pot tripod to boil them both something out of the cooking catalog of _From Recruit to Ranger_. His recipe called for his Corphish to be used as the main ingredient.

At first, Lincoln was reluctant to do so, not wanting his hard-earned catch to go to waste, but he knew that Clyde needed the experience and it wouldn't be fair to let him be deprived of the practice.

Little did he know that it would take nearly half an hour to finally put his culinary concoction together.

As Lincoln walked towards Clyde, his Fennekin stepping in line with him by his side, he could see the steam rising out of the pot and anticipated the smell that would soon hit his nose.

" _Finally_ , between hauling in that Corphish and waiting for you to finish up on your stew, I was beginning to wonder if…"

He stopped in his tracks the instant the smell of the stew wafted into his nostrils. He gagged and retched at the putrid odor, wondering what on Earth Clyde could've crated to make it smell as bad as it did. It didn't quite stink as much as Lily's dirty diapers did but Lincoln knew that anything that smelled that retched had no business being consumed.

"Yech! Clyde, what died in that pot?!" Lincoln cried out as he unclipped Fennekin's Pokéball from his belt and quickly sucked Fennekin in, not wanting her to have to suffer the same fate as him.

Clyde sheepishly smiled back at his disgusted friend and Lincoln wondered how, besides Clyde's terrible cooking skills being so…well, terrible, could he survive being so close to his "stew" without keeling over. He looked like he was trying to put on a brave face but all the same, it was amazing that he could do that much.

"Yeah, I know, it's not the, uh, best smelling stew in the world but believe me, Lincoln, I promise you that this will taste wonderful," Clyde assured as Lincoln took a seat next to him by the pot. "I copied the recipe from the handbook. And even if it's not the best, I still got plenty of stew mix left for us to experiment with. We'll get it until it's good."

"Eh behher geh guuh," Lincoln snarkily replied as he pinched his nose.

Clyde just laughed and went back into his tent. He returned with two white bowls, stacked on one another while the top bowl had two spoons inside of it. His other hand held a ladle, obviously for fishing out the stew. Lincoln watched with dread as Clyde took his time, gingerly pouring a hearty serving of his prepared meal into each bowl and laid one at Lincoln's feet.

Mercifully, the one he got seemed to have less stew than Clyde's. Still, it didn't look promising at all. The stew was a murky yellow flavor and did it…yes, it did! It bubbled! It actually bubbled, like it was some kind of witch's potion that was brewed in a cauldron!

Looking at Clyde again, silently pleading all the while that this was all a practical joke, Clyde simply took his spoon and dipped it into his stew, pulling out a spoonful of it and holding it close to his mouth.

"Welp…" Clyde chuckled nervously, "to manliness."

Lincoln looked down at his bowl again and swallowed nervously. He really, _really_ didn't want to eat this stew but he didn't want to hurt Clyde's feelings even more than that. Telling him it didn't smell good was one thing but flat out refusing to eat it would really put a damper on his pride and possibly deter him from trying to improve himself.

' _The things I do for friends,'_ Lincoln inwardly sighed with remorse and grabbed a hold of his spoon before dunking it into his stew and fishing some of it out. He held it up to his pursed lips, much like Clyde did.

"Tah mahlenass," Lincoln said while still pinching his nose.

With that, the two friends simultaneously opened their mouths, and swallowed their respective spoonful of stew.

* * *

 _Later…_

' _Okay, Lincoln, another note to self: if you value your digestive tract, never let Clyde cook. Ever,'_ Lincoln warned himself as he gazed up at the starry night sky through the clear roof of his tent.

Dinner time was a bit of a disaster.

Okay, it was a _total_ disaster. Soon after gulping down a cautious spoonful of Clyde's Corphish stew, Lincoln had to hold back to urge to throw up, at least until he could run towards some nearby bushes and upchuck his stomach contents into the forage. Even though he spent an hour hurling his brains out into some bushes, he could at least get some satisfaction in the fact that Clyde had suffered the same fate; it wasn't as if Lincoln was malicious or anything but he hated having to waste his food like that.

' _But hey, it wasn't all bad. At least we had enough Corphish left to make a decent filling meal.'_

Deciding to roll over on his side, Lincoln did so until he was face to face with his Pokéball belt, which was resting right next to his orange sleeping bag that he was snuggled into. His focus remained on the Pokéball that he knew was Fennekin's. He smiled as he could almost feel Fennekin within the capsule, resting soundly.

' _And on top of that, I finally got to see what Fennekin can do. All in all, not bad but by the end of all of this, we'll be more than just not bad.'_

Reaching out towards his LED lamp, he switched it off before retreating back into his sleeping bag, snuggling into the warmth and letting himself slowly drifting off to sleep but not before assuring himself of something that he believed with every fiber of his being.

' _We're gonna be champions.'_

* * *

 _With just one out of the many days of their journey completed, both Lincoln and Clyde are just as enthusiastic as ever to see their dreams become reality._

 _But will a rancid pot of stew be the only trial that they must persevere through or will another set of odds be cast against their paths?_

 _As_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _continues, you'll just have to see for yourselves!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Like I said in the last A/N, this was essentially a "set-up" chapter, in which I go through detail about how a certain element of the story will be told so I don't have to write it out in painstakingly long detail anymore. In this case, it's the general idea about how the boys camp out.

If you have any further questions about how certain things work, chances are, I already covered it in Chapters 1 – 4. Either that or I completely forgot to include it and now, I have to find some way to not awkwardly slap it into the story later. I'm praying it doesn't come to that but…oh well.


	5. Be Careful What You Fish For

**A/N:** Alright, people, it's time to peel back the curtain a little bit and explain where I tend to take this chapter and future chapters just like this. See, this chapter is what one might call "filler". Y'know, where not a lot of things happen that are instrumental to the plot but you might get something that you'd find worth the watch anyways? But then again, even though I call it "filler", things happen that establish relationships and build the world around the characters a bit. So then, would it be fair to call that filler? Eh, I suppose that's up to you.

The point is, I figured this would be fair warning to those who've felt that the story has dragged on for too long with not a lot happening. I haven't gotten any complaints of that directly but I have the strangest feeling that some of you out there share those sentiments. Or, I dunno, maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Anyways, here is "Chapter 5: Be Careful What You Fish For".

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _After arriving in Santalune Forest, Lincoln and Clyde laid temporary claim to a spot that they felt was the ideal camping site. After Clyde introduced his partner, Herdier, Lincoln was eager to begin training his Fennekin right away for the Gym in Santalune City._

 _Things hit quite the snag, however, when Lincoln attempted to teach Fennekin the Fire-type move, Flame Charge and after watching her immediately fail to pull it off and succumb to exhaustion, Lincoln vowed to never push Fennekin past her limits ever again._

 _With that training experience behind him, Lincoln continues to commit to training Fennekin to the best of her abilities…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: Be Careful What You Fish For**

* * *

It had been full one week since the "Flame Charge incident". Because of that, Lincoln went back to the drawing board, thinking of possible ways to train Fennekin effectively without pushing her over her limitations. By the morning after the mishap, he felt that he finally had something substantial but not overly taxing.

Starting from the 12th, Lincoln trained Fennekin only using Scratch, testing its power against nearby trees from the campsite to not only build up her stamina for the attack, so that she could use it more than she already could, but so that the move could be more effective than how it was before her training started. Since Lincoln had an inkling that Scratch was an oft overlooked move, based on all the tournaments he watched over the years, he found the idea of getting a one up on Trainers, using such a technique, a good strategy.

The day after that came Ember training. For that day, Lincoln had Fennekin repeat the Ember firing exercise into the sky from before and after completing a rep of four, the number that Lincoln found to be Fennekin's threshold for now, they took an hour-long break before they went back at it again, this time, with Lincoln urging Fennekin to pick up the pace a bit. After that, another hour-long break but this time, instead of Lincoln asking Fennekin to shoot out another four Ember at a more rapid rate than before, he instead asked her to pull off one, final Ember, the biggest that she could muster.

The next day, Lincoln repeated the Scratch training and the day after that, the Ember training. On the fifth day of official training, Lincoln had Fennekin undergo both Scratch and Ember training in the same day but at half the rate that the Ember and Scratch training would get on their own day.

On the sixth day, which was yesterday, Lincoln allowed Fennekin to rest while he'd study Fennekin's moves in the Attackdex, trying to figure out which moves he'd want to train her with in the near future. So far, he found Fire Spin the most plausible option. From what the Attackdex's information revealed, although it looked a tad bit more difficult than Ember, Lincoln liked the idea of having another Fire-type move in Fennekin's arsenal and Fire Spin also acted as a means of immobilization, trapping a Pokémon in one spot and rendering them helpless while it remained in play. Lincoln supposed that after Fennekin got her Ember at a more respectable level, he could swap out Ember training for Fire Spin training.

Today, however, was what Lincoln slightly dreaded. To cap off the successful week of training that Fennekin had thus far, Lincoln decided that after a day of rest, Fennekin would attempt to pull off Flame Charge. Even though that was the move that had hurt Fennekin, Lincoln reassured himself that the only reason she couldn't do it so well was because she had already expended her energy before and without breaks in between her little practice sessions, of course she'd falter so quickly.

But still…all the same, Lincoln had his doubts. Even though Fennekin had not only survived but thrived in his training so far, those were with moves that Fennekin already had imbued within her from the start. But for Flame Charge, not only would Fennekin possibly be at risk trying to learn a new move but for all intents and purposes, there would be no more excuses. Without any other move to practice today, as well as having a full day of rest yesterday, Fennekin would be at optimal levels, nothing to hinder the raw potential that she would have for Flame Charge.

In short, this would be a true indicator of how far Fennekin had to go and with this year's Lumiose Conference being over on the thirtieth, thus having Gym Battles officially open for business for next year's Conference, the clock was ticking against Lincoln and his goal to get to Santalune City, as soon as the new Lumiose Conference winner was crowned, in order to get all eight Kalos Gym Badges as soon as possible. The faster he got them, the more secure his guaranteed entry into the Lumiose Conference would be.

Thus, with both fiery determination and jittery nerves, Lincoln Loud was ready to get down to business.

* * *

 _Santalune Forest. June 18th, 2036. 12:15 PM_

"You ready, Fennekin?"

"Fennekin!"

Presently, Lincoln and Fennekin were standing in their usual training spot, which was a good fifteen feet away from the campsite and around thirty feet from the lake that he and Clyde constantly fished in.

Like Lincoln, Fennekin appeared fired up and ready to start with her training as she smirked up at her Trainer and matched his own determined expression.

"Okay then…"

Lincoln pointed outwards at the lake and bellowed, "Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

Lincoln looked on as Fennekin followed through as the familiar bold red flames emitted from her body until she was completely submerged. However, unlike the last time, Fennekin was able to sustain the power that Flame Charge bequeathed to her, so much so that instead of succumbing to the pressure, she began bolting towards the lake like Lincoln wanted, her speed leaving behind a thin trail of flaming red as she whooshed on by.

Ever ecstatic, Lincoln cheered her on as she strode towards her objective.

"That's it, Fennekin, keep it up!" Lincoln called out to her.

In the blink of an eye, two feet quickly became three feet. Then four. Then five. Then…

Then Fennekin tripped over her two front legs but was quick to recover in midair by rolling onto her side before her body hit the ground and she skidded across the grass momentarily until she finally came to a complete stop, the flames dying out along with all of her momentum.

"Oh no," Lincoln muttered panickily as he raced towards his Fennekin, silently praying that he hadn't completely messed up again.

He tried to push the thoughts of a wounded, helpless Fennekin in the back of his head but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but berate himself for letting Fennekin get hurt again.

And well after everything was going so well, too.

"Fenne…kin," he heard Fennekin say wearily as he finally got to her, crouching down to see if she sustained any injuries.

To his relief, Fennekin only looked disappointed in herself rather than hurt. Sighing in relief, Lincoln reached down and brushed out the clumps of dirt and grass that clung onto Fennekin's fur, relishing in the fact that Fennekin not only pulled off Flame Charge better than he thought she would but that she hadn't gotten banged up like last time.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Fennekin. You did a great job," Lincoln assured Fennekin as he plucked out a blade of grass that was comically sticking in her left ear.

Fennekin still didn't look too convinced, though.

"Kiiiiiiin," she whined as she looked at the ground and sulked.

Before Lincoln could pull out a twig from the front pocket of his tracksuit and give it to Fennekin as a reward for a hard day's work, he heard footsteps heading in his direction. He turned around and sure enough, Clyde was jogging towards him.

"Yo, Lincoln," Clyde called out to him.

"Yeah, Clyde?" Lincoln answered.

Clyde stopped when he was a few feet away and pointed back at the campsite behind him.

"You wanna head to the lake so we can do some fishing? I'll go get Herdier so we can go."

Now that Lincoln thought about it, it was a couple of hours since they last ate and a nice fresh catch of Pokémon did sound delicious.

Well, delicious as long as Clyde didn't do the cooking, of course.

"In a minute," Lincoln replied and looked on as his friend shrugged and went back the way he came.

He looked back to Fennekin and sure enough, just as Lincoln predicted, Fennekin was staring up at him with a pleading look, her eyes sparkling and dazzling. He shook his head at the cutesy display, refusing to give in and let Fennekin's silent plea be considered for even a second.

"No, Fennekin. You're still not ready to fish with us."

In an instant, she dropped the act and gave Lincoln a tiny glare.

"Fenne," she griped.

Lincoln stood his ground as he folded his arms and glared right back.

"Don't give me that look."

They locked eyes for a good ten seconds before Fennekin gave up and lowered her head in defeat and whimpered lowly. This got Lincoln to melt instantly but all the same, his mind was made up.

"Aw, come on, Fennekin. I'm doing this for your own good. I still don't think you're strong enough to fish with me yet. But don't worry about it, you'll get there one day. I promise."

He gave her a few stroking pets along the head, prompting Fennekin to look up at him with sad eyes. Before he could try to mollify her with another pep talk, Fennekin walked towards him and rubbed her head against his leg.

"Fennekin," she barked as she looked up at Lincoln and did her best to put on a smile for him.

' _Guess she's not bummed out anymore. At least, I_ _hope_ _she's not.'_

"Atta girl," Lincoln said and unclipped Fennekin's Pokéball before he sucked Fennekin back in.

He looked down at the Pokéball and sighed. He hated doing this to poor Fennekin but he felt that he was doing the right thing.

At least…it was the right thing. _Wasn't it_?

Not wanting to second guess himself, Lincoln clipped the Pokéball back on its belt and made a run for it towards the campsite, intent on getting his fishing pole and Pokédex so he could go fishing with Clyde.

Hopefully, their catch would take his mind off Fennekin, at least for a little while.

* * *

 _20 minutes later…_

Fishing had always been a time of both relaxation and exhilaration for Lincoln ever since his father first took him out to fish when was younger. Although the truth about his father's true feelings towards fishing both shocked and slightly disappointed him, Lincoln found that all the same, he liked fishing for his own reasons, especially when he got to talk to a loved one while doing it.

Since he and Clyde had never fished before their journey, the boys never lacked in conversation, always finding something to talk about; reminiscing about one another's embarrassing moments at school, discussing their favorite Ace Savvy moments, complaining about their respective families in a jovial tone, etc.

But ever since they took their spot as they sat by the edge of the lake's waters, Lincoln's line cast out and his Pokédex sitting next to him, he hadn't said a single word to Clyde. He was far too busy thinking about Fennekin and how he treated her.

It was true that yes, Fennekin, was progressing well and even now, he discovered that her Flame Charge wasn't too shabby at all…

But he still couldn't get over his first day training her. The pain and exhaustion that he caused her by blindly going forward with his spur-of-the-moment training regime…it still made him feel uneasy about shuffling Fennekin into new, potentially dangerous territory, such as taking on Water-type Pokémon, the type that strongly opposed Fire-types like Fennekin.

Just the thought of Fennekin getting injured because of his expectations made his stomach clench.

Clyde, having been confided to about Fennekin's attitude, was more than aware of what Lincoln was going through.

"I see Fennekin's got you down again, huh?" Clyde asked as he looked out at the lake.

Surprisingly, to him, Lincoln was rather quick to reply as he expected him to deny the issue he was facing and say that he was doing alright.

"Not really," Lincoln replied, his eyes trained on his line the whole time.

"Then what's the matter? I haven't seen you this sad since you lost Bun-Bun for four whole days."

Lincoln's cheeks reddened.

"I wasn't _that_ upset," he mumbled under his breath.

Clyde chuckled. He always liked pushing the "Bun-Bun" button every now and then. He quickly focused his attention back on Lincoln when he caught him looking at him through his peripheral vision.

"But, no, what I meant by 'not really' was that…it's mostly my fault, I guess."

Clyde quirked an eyebrow at his friend's enigmatic words.

"You guess? What's that mean?"

Lincoln sighed. "I mean…I want Fennekin to join us and all but...but I'm afraid, Clyde. What if she gets hurt? She's weak to Water-types, remember?"

"Don't worry, Lincoln," Clyde assured as he patted Lincoln on the back, "that's what Sitrus berries are for. Herdier and I found a ton of 'em over the past few days. We've got you covered."

Lincoln didn't like the sound of that at all. All it did was remind him of what he did nearly a week ago; fuel Fennekin with twigs after pushing her to her limit and praising her for keeping up with his foolish demands, as if pushing her was acceptable just because he rewarded her gusto, only to prod her forward in a new, strenuous direction.

"Yeah, well, I don't want it to come to that," Lincoln said with a frown. "I can't just…placate her with twigs and Sitrus berries to make up for the fact that I'm not taking care of her."

His concerns only got Clyde to mirror his frown, a gesture that Lincoln found to be a bit insulting since it appeared that Lincoln's heartfelt concerns meant nothing to him.

"Lincoln, I hate to break it to you but Pokémon getting hurt in battle is the name of the game. I mean, isn't this what you've wanted to do for the longest time? You had to know that this came with the territory."

Immediately, Clyde's words dragged him back to the past, back to before Lincoln ever acquired his first Pokémon. Back then, before his big undertaking, he was hopeful, confident, and exuberant about taking on challenges across Kalos and making a name for himself.

Now, he was slightly unsure of himself and trundling forward with well-meaning trepidation. But even if that was true, what right did Clyde have to feel disappointed? He, of all people, should know better since he himself was training his Herdier to help him out with Ranger duties and whatnot. Where did he get the idea that being careful, that being somewhat apprehensive, meant that he was the bad guy when all he was trying to do was make sure that Fennekin wasn't thrust foolhardily into danger?

Had it not been for the fact that it was Clyde saying those things, and not some pretentious guru trying to "enlighten" him with his hogwash, Lincoln most certainly would've snapped at him and told him to mind his own business.

"I mean, sure but dreaming about it is one thing," Lincoln said. "It's not the same as actually living it out, you know?"

He hoped that this would at least get to Clyde and help him see the matter from his perspective. Instead, all it got Clyde to do was respond to him with a reply that he found to be utterly condescending.

"It never is, Lincoln."

In that instant, his temper flared.

"That's not the point, Clyde!" Lincoln shouted.

Immediately, he felt regret barreling over him as he took in Clyde's wounded expression. He sighed and looked at the lake again, his shoulders slumped and his head hanging down slightly.

"S-sorry. You didn't deserve that."

It takes Clyde a few seconds to respond and Lincoln is grateful for the words that follow the tense silence.

"It's okay, Lincoln. I know you didn't mean it."

Knowing full well that Clyde wasn't going to let him drop the subject any time soon, he continued baring his soul.

"It's just…it all comes so easy when she's kicking butt during her training. She's doing well and I'm really proud of her for it. But even so, I don't want to put her in harm's way just to see if she can take it, you know? I already did that when I pushed her over the edge with Flame Charge the first time."

Clyde's face lit in understanding as Lincoln's feelings brought up the Donphan in the room that he had noticed ever since they had set up camp.

"Is that why you haven't asked me to help you with your training with Herdier?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah," Lincoln nodded. "That's exactly why. I mean, Herdier's way out of her league. I've seen the way he's put down all our catches. He'd cream Fennekin."

"I dunno about that, Lincoln. Sounds to me like you're just underselling her capabilities."

Lincoln looked at Clyde again, gazing at him with absolute incredulity. All the same, Lincoln felt flattered that Clyde would think so highly of Fennekin when he thought that Herdier swamped her in terms of battle prowess.

"You really think that she'd… _beat_ Herdier?"

"Maybe," Clyde said and then smirked, "but don't think for one second that it'd be easy."

The friends shared a short, little laugh but in the back of Lincoln's mind, the thought of Herdier taking on Fennekin still made him nervous. Maybe he'd consider it after another week of training Fennekin.

"So, what'd you think?" Clyde asked Lincoln after he finished shortling.

Lincoln gave a little shrug. "About what?"

"About Fennekin. You think you can bring her along with us the next time we fish?"

"Sure. We can do that," Lincoln answered with slight apprehension, still a little fearful about hurting Fennekin.

"Hey, don't worry, man," Clyde said after he sensed Lincoln's hesitation in his voice. "This lake doesn't seem to house dangerous Pokémon that could give her much trouble anyways."

Lincoln thought back to everything that they had caught over the past couple of days and had to admit that Clyde had a point. Even if he thought highly of Herdier, the catches they've had hadn't put up much of a fight, especially since most of them couldn't fight too well on dry land.

"I suppose you're right. Besides that Corphish on our first day here, the catches have been pretty mundane so far, y'know? Some Goldeen, a few Magikarp, a Remoraid or two."

"Speaking of catches," Clyde added, "wouldn't it be great if we caught something…y'know, different? Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking down a good meal or anything but just for once, I want something new."

"A little variety never hurt anyone, I suppose," Lincoln agreed. "Still, I'm not complaining. Any seafood is good seafood, especially blue-striped Bascul-"

He stopped in his tracks when he felt a tug on his line. Despite catching dozens of Pokémon like this, he still got what his father called "the fisherman's jitters" as his heart raced and his breathing sped up.

Leaping to his feet, he gripped onto the handle of his fishing pole and turned to Clyde.

"Clyde, get Herdier ready! I think I got something!"

"Roger!" Clyde said and got to his feet as he pulled out Herdier's Pokéball from his pocket. He quickly tossed it at his feet and waited as Herdier popped out, looking at his Trainer dutifully.

"Herd!" the Loyal Dog Pokémon barked.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was doing his best to reel in his catch. Thanks to the fishing pole he had, the catch rate was nearly a one hundred percent guarantee, meaning he rarely had to worry about his haul getting away.

But this one…this Pokémon was putting up a fight! All the same, Lincoln was determined not to let his prize get away.

"Almost…got it…" Lincoln gritted through clenched teeth as he held tightly on the fishing pole as it swayed and lurched in his grasp.

His palms, now sweaty, ached as Lincoln refused to give in. His line was pulling in. All he had to do was hold on for just a few more seconds.

At last, when the submerged Pokémon was but a few inches away from the shore, with one mighty tug, Lincoln yanked it out of the water.

"Hiyaaaaaaaaah!" Lincoln cried as his arms swung up over his head, along with his catch.

Before he could turn around and see just what it was that gave him such trouble, Clyde's gasp of exasperation beat him to the punch.

"What the?!" Clyde exclaimed.

At that, Lincoln set his fishing pole aside and spun around quickly. The sight of the Pokémon inspired the same reaction from him.

"Woah, what is that?!"

There, standing about a good ten feet away from them, was a Pokémon that to Lincoln's immediate recollection, he had never seen before.

The Pokémon was slightly hovering above ground. It had a single black stripe on each of its cyan-colored body segments. It had two claws, though the right one was enormously large compared it is left one. Said smaller claw was blue and was decorated with a yellow tip and black stripe. The larger one was dark blue and had three black stripes encircling it, along with two protruding yellow antennae, one on either side. Finally, the face had a black stripe running along it, covering its piercing yellow eyes.

But now that Lincoln had a better look at it, he couldn't help but have a sense of déjà vu.

"Hang on…this Pokémon looks familiar."

Without taking his eyes of his catch, which was still staring down at them defiantly, Lincoln picked up his Pokédex and scanned it.

" _ **Clawitzer, the Howitzer Pokémon and the evolved form of Clauncher. This Pokémon is capable of traveling at 60 knots by expelling water from its claws. They can launch cannonballs, from their claws, that can pierce through tanker hulls with ease.**_

 _ **This Clawitzer is a Female."**_

' _So, that's why it looked familiar. Dad and I have caught Clauncher before but I had no idea it could evolve. This might be a bit tougher than I thought,'_ Lincoln thought as he stuffed the Pokédex in his pocket.

"Hey, Clyde? You ready?" Lincoln asked Clyde, who was still looking on at the Clawitzer in awe.

All the same, he gave his friend an assuring nod.

"Sure am, Lincoln."

"Then we better get away from the fireworks."

With that, Lincoln and Clyde sprinted further away from the Clawitzer, who looked like it was beginning to make a move at them as she spotted them running away but Herdier stood in its path from a bit of a distance, growling at the Pokémon, as if it was daring her to make a move on his Trainer and his friend on his watch.

Once the boys stood a good distance from them, no longer standing at the edge of the lake, they were ready to subdue this catch. For Lincoln, although the prospect of catching the Clawitzer looked tempting, he knew that food had to come first before anything else. Besides, since Herdier was going to do all the work, he didn't find it fair to swoop in and steal Clyde and Herdier's hard work.

"Herdier, use Tackle!" Clyde yelled out.

As soon as the last word left his Trainer's lips, Herdier made mad dash towards the Clawitzer, zeroing in on it with tremendous speed as his feet kicked up dust behind the wake of his incoming assault.

However, the Clawitzer seemed unconcerned with the oncoming attack and instead of pivoting out of the way, her large claw quickly snapped open. Then, tiny black and purple swirls began gyrating around the opening, pulsing and vibrating as the ball of dark energy expanded.

"Claaaaaaaaaw!" the Clawizter roared as the sphere of black and purple aura shot out of the claw into a beam, rushing towards Herdier at an even faster rate than Herdier's Tackle was permitting him.

"Herdier, dodge it!" Clyde shouted.

Before Herdier could collide with Clawitzer's attack, Herdier maneuvered out of the way at the last second, rolling over on his side as the beam shot past him.

"Good job! Now, use Tackle again!" Clyde ordered.

The last Tackle had covered some good ground for Herdier and instead of being ten feet away from the Clawitzer, like when the battle initially started, he was now a good five feet from his opponent.

Herdier took to the offense again and pressed on, charging at Clawitzer once more with Tackle. His face scrunched with exertion as adrenaline pumped through with as his target came more and more into focus with each step.

Once again, the Clawitzer remained undeterred by the charging adversary and once again, unclamped her giant claw. However, unlike the last attack, this time, a fast, powerful stream of spiraling water launched out of the orifice, leaving Clyde completely out of the loop as to what the Clawitzer was doing until it was too late.

Within seconds, the attack hit true and Herdier was pummeled by the barrage of pressurized water and sent flying back for his troubles.

"Oh no! Herdier!" Clyde exclaimed as he watched Herdier sail through the air before landing on his back.

"You alright, Herdier?!" Lincoln yelled.

Though it took him a little bit to get to his feet, Herdier eventually regained his battle stance as he glared at the Clawitzer and her unyielding composure.

"Her!" Herdier barked, not entertaining the thought of giving in.

' _Man, this Clawitzer is tough. Herdier's never had it this rough,'_ Lincoln thought worriedly as he looked at Clyde and the frustrated look he wore at the unfavorable battle that was waging in front of them.

That frustration melts away when Clyde decides to try out a more indirect method.

"Herdier, use Leer this time!"

Instantly, Herdier's eyes glow red as he snarls at the Clawitzer in front of him. Upon locking eyes with the Loyal Dog Pokémon, the Clawitzer begins to slump forward and groan as her body begins to be outlined in a glow that matches Herdier's red eyes. She shuts her eyes in a vain attempt to block of the effect of the Leer but it's too late by now; her defense begins to wane under the wake of Herdier's attack.

Knowing exactly what Leer does, Lincoln excitedly cheers on the tide that he believes is being turned in their favor.

"Good thinking, Clyde!" Lincoln praises his friend.

Clyde doesn't hear him, though; his mind is completely centered on the Clawitzer and her diminishing fighting spirit. Sensing that the moment is now right to move in with another attack, Clyde commands, "Okay then, Herdier, use Bite!"

"Heeeeeeeeerd!" Herdier roars as it breaks the hold it has on Clawitzer with his Leer and leaps towards the adversary with his mouth opened and his sharp teeth bared.

Right before the Herdier can descend on his target, at the last second, the Clawitzer swings her large claw up to defend herself and cries out in pain when Herdier's teeth harshly clamp onto its claw. In response, she tries, in vain, to violently shake Herdier off of her as she swings him about in the air but Herdier defiantly presses his teeth down even harder, sending more jolts of pain throughout her body.

"Yeah, you got 'em! Keep it up!" Clyde cheers on, elated that Herdier isn't letting up.

The struggle for freedom ends when, instead of trying to jostle Herdier off of her claw, the Clawitzer simple raises its claw up in the air, resisting the urge to pass out from the pain that Herdier's Bite attack was giving her. Then, her claw starts to slowly but surely glow white.

This immediately gets Lincoln to panic as he has a pretty good idea about what's about to happen. Next to him, to his dismay, Clyde remains oblivious.

"Clyde, get Herdier out of there! I think she's using Crabhammer!" Lincoln says and points towards the Clawitzer.

Clyde snaps out of his elated state and looks on at the battle. True to Lincoln's word, the Clawitzer's claw is now completely illuminated in a white color and with Herdier still affixed to the claw, swings it towards the ground.

"What the…oh no! Herdier, let go! Hurry!" Clyde begs more than shouts, panic evident in his voice.

Before Herdier can unclamp its Bite, the Clawitzer's Crabhammer makes it mark, crashing into the earth and violently hurdling Herdier onto the ground with a booming impact. Dust kicks up, cloaking the battlefield in a thick film of debris and rubble as the two boys look on helplessly.

"Herdier!" Clyde cries out in anguish.

Soon, the dust settles, revealing the Clawitzer looming over a wounded, bruised Herdier, who's struggling to get to his feet.

"He…heeeeeeer…" he moans, trying but failing to regain his footing as his tired, aching limbs make the ascent extremely difficult.

Before Clyde can make a command and get Herdier out of dodge, the Clawitzer's big claw opens up, inching slowly towards the wounded Herdier. Once its directly above him, the claw clamped down around Herdier's middle and squeezed roughly. Herdier responds by thrashing about and howling pain, trying to escape the Clawitzer's tightening grip but failing miserably.

Alarm thrashes about in Lincoln's head as he tries to figure out what to do in this mess. Clyde doesn't look like he's doing any better than him; he's frozen in place, looking on catatonically as his Herdier succumbs to the Clawitzer's crushing attack.

' _What am I supposed to do now?! Herdier's getting clobbered and I don't have any Pokémon that can stop it!'_

He entertains the idea of sending out Fennekin to help but he immediately rejects it. In his mind, Fennekin doesn't have a prayer against a Pokémon that can thrash Herdier about with little trouble, especially a Water-type Pokémon.

His cowardice; it utterly sickens him, letting Herdier suffer without even trying to do the "right thing". But the "right thing" meant that Fennekin would be in dire straits to and if that happened, who was supposed to save _her_?

' _I'm sorry, Clyde, there's nothing I can do.'_

"Lincoln!"

Lincoln breaks out of his reverie when he hears Clyde calling his name. He turns to Clyde, who's giving him the most panicked look he's ever seen him wear in his life.

"Lincoln, get Fennekin out so she can help Herdier!" Clyde pleads urgently.

Lincoln feels his stomach lurch forward nervously, knowing full well that he can't go through with Clyde's request. As much as it pained him not to intervene, his Fennekin was top priority, not Herdier.

He shaked his head vigorously.

"I…I c-can't, Clyde. You saw what that Clawitzer can do. She won't stand a-"

Clyde rushes forward and grabs Lincoln by his shoulders, his imploring, desperate gaze burning through Lincoln and making him feel all the guiltier for his impassive stance.

"Lincoln, please, I'm begging you! I promise, you won't be alone! Herdier's got a move that can back-up Fennekin's attacks. Just please, get her out here and save him!"

Lincoln's not sure if Clyde's just trying to stir him into action with an empty promise or not but as he looks on at Herdier, continuing to be subjugated to Clawitzer's tortuous grip, only one thought enters his mind.

He has to do this. Not just for Clyde but for himself and Fennekin. If they can't get past a wild Clawitzer, he won't stand a chance against the Santalune City Gym Leader, let alone the preliminaries of the Lumiose Conference.

Unclipping Fennekin's Pokéball from his belt, Lincoln tosses it outwards and releases Fennekin in front of him. Fennekin is quick to spot the Clawitzer hurting Herdier and snarls at it.

"Fennekin!" the Fox Pokémon yelps, causing the Clawitzer to turn its head and notice her.

She takes one last look at the Herdier she has in her grasp and with a mighty fling, chucks it at Fennekin's direction. Herdier sails through the air before he crashes into the ground, rolling towards the boys and Fennekin, who look on as the wounded Pokémon makes a complete stop by their feet.

Clyde quickly tends to his Herdier, looking on concernedly as he looks at the bruises and wounds that litter his body. Meanwhile, Lincoln and Fennekin stare down the Clawitzer as it glares them down.

Lincoln knew that this was going to be tough. Even though Herdier's Bite left behind a noticeable red bruise on the Clawitzer's giant claw and that thanks to Leer, her attack had taken a dive, even with all of that going for them, they still had quite the hill to climb.

Still, if Clyde's words were true about that attack boost, Lincoln felt more confident in at least driving the Clawitzer away.

"Clyde?" Lincoln asked his friend.

He waits for Clyde to tear away from his Pokémon and acknowledge his beckoning. Once he does, he tells him, "It's time you bust out that move you were talking about."

Clyde nods. "Right."

He checks over his Herdier again, who by now, is gingerly rising to his feet, despite the pain he just endured.

"Herdier, are you good to go?" Clyde asked once Herdier shakily stands on all fours.

"Heeeeeeeer…" Herdier pants in a hoarse whisper.

"Okay, boy, I just need you to do one last thing for me."

He points to Fennekin.

"Use Helping Hand on Fennekin!"

Slowly but surely, Herdier limps over to the awaiting Fennekin, who looks on at Herdier in concern for his well-being but also in confusion as to what it's doing.

"Fenne?" she asks Herdier as he shakily lifts up his paw and touches Fennekin on the forehead.

With a loud yowl, Herdier's body released blue electricity from its body, coursing through him until it traveled through his outstretched limb and whooshed into Fennekin, imbuing her with the same electricity. Once it's all over, Fennekin's entire body sparks blue, crackling and shrieking. With his work done, Herdier falls over to his side, coaxing Clyde to bend down and hover over him protectively.

"It worked! Fennekin's attack power just got a boost!" Clyde exclaims excitedly.

Meanwhile, Lincoln can't help but zero in what Clyde just said.

' _Wait a second…an attack boost? That sounds a lot like…'_

Lincoln smirks. If this worked, he had a good feeling that Fennekin would win this, type disadvantage or not type disadvantage.

"Fennekin, use Howl!" Lincoln orders.

Immediately, Fennekin leans her head back, looks up at the clear blue sky and howls. The sparks of blue electricity around intensified and in addition, a subtle red aura begins to flare from Fennekin's body. Once she's done, she looks back at the Clawitzer and sneers as her eyes blaze over.

"Now, she's even stronger!" Lincoln exclaims.

This was it. With two attack boosts on Fennekin, the Clawitzer's defense weakened, and her fighting claw scratched up, Lincoln knew that now, more than ever, Fennekin had to pull through and win. He couldn't ask for a more advantageous set-up and he knew he wouldn't confront these situations all the time.

If he couldn't get through this, his training, his convictions…he was better off throwing them out the window.

And he couldn't think of a worse fate than that.

"Fennekin, fire out an Ember!" Lincoln cries out as he points to the Clawitzer.

Fennekin does as she's ordered, opening her mouth and belting out a yell of her name as a hot ball of crackling fire shoots, rushing towards her target.

"Fennekin, get in a little bit closer!" Lincoln shouts, not waiting to see what the Ember does before it connects as he wanted to use the Ember to distract the Clawitzer so Fennekin could get in a little bit closer and make another move.

Fennekin follows behind the Ember while the Clawitzer waits for it to come to her. As soon as the Ember gets within dangerous proximity, Clawitzer opens up her giant claw and points it at the ground.

"Claaaaaaaaaaw!" she yells and propels herself in the air with the black and purple beam attack it tried to use against Herdier earlier.

The Ember flies underneath her and as the Clawitzer wants, Fennekin fast approaches. The Clawitzer begins to drop down on her target and extends her claw downward, opening it up and shooting out another stream of spiraling water.

"Dodge it!" Lincoln shouts.

Before Fennekin can roll out the way, the beam of water hits Fennekin square in the face, knocking her backwards as the Clawitzer lands on the ground a few feet away.

"Fennekin!" Lincoln cries out and desperately pushes back his fears away, wanting to focus on the fight ahead of him while it was still going on.

"Fennekin, can you still fight?" Lincoln calls out.

Fennekin staggers to her feet and shakes her head about until she has a grasp on her bearings.

"Fenne…kin," Fennekin answers back while staring down the Clawitzer that's unclamping her giant claw again.

Lincoln knows he has to make a move fast and without really thinking, he shouts, "Okay then, go for Ember again!"

Fennekin follows through by firing out another Ember, just in time for the Clawitzer to fire out a third mighty torrent of beamed water towards the Ember. The elemental attacks collide head-on as they push back and forth against each other momentarily, sparks of fire and sharp droplets of water spouting out from the clash. Just when it seems that Ember is about to lose, the attacks meld together and explode, creating a cloud of thick steam that covers Fennekin and the Clawitzer from sight.

"What happened?! I can't see anything in that steam!" Clyde said, looking on in worry as his vision was obscured from the battle.

Lincoln, on the other hand, finds this turnabout a rather…favorable outcome.

"Looks like we got a lucky break," Lincoln said confidently.

Though he knows that Fennekin is just as blind as the Clawitzer in the steamy fog, he also knows that Fennekin won't panic as long as he's around to guide her. Unlike the Clawitzer, she wasn't alone.

She would _never_ be alone.

"Fennekin, use Ember again!"

Lincoln stands back and watches as an orange glow shines through the steam, obviously from the Ember that he just commanded.

"Claaaaaaaaw!" the Clawitzer cries out as she skids out of the steam, her claw shielded in front of her as she was forced back a few paces from the Ember that she just blocked. The steam soon dissipates, revealing Fennekin standing triumphantly, looking on at the Clawitzer that's now close to the edge of the lake.

Despite the successful hit, Clyde remains uneasy.

"It's no good, Lincoln! That Clawitzer's defending itself with her claw!"

Lincoln turns to Clyde and gives him a thumbs up.

"It's not a problem, Clyde. Fennekin's got this."

Before Lincoln gives Fennekin another command, he looks on at the Clawitzer, and just as he figures, spots even more damage that the attack claw has taken, burn marks evident on the armor-like skin. He also notices that the Clawitzer is struggling to stay in the game as it pants and wobbles about slightly.

"Fennekin, get in close!"

Fennekin charges forward and much to Lincoln's delight, is able to do so without Clawitzer preparing for another attack. Once Fennekin is about two feet away from her target, Lincoln follows up by shouting, "Now, go for Scratch!"

"Kiiiiiiin!" Fennekin yells as she leapt at the Clawitzer, her front legs glowing white.

With one mighty swing, Fennekin brought her paws down towards the Clawitzer, only for the enemy to respond by holding out her wounded claw to defend herself.

Undeterred, Lincoln cries out, "Do it again, Fennekin!"

Fennekin follows through with another one, only to have that one blocked, too.

"And again!"

Another Scratch. Another block.

"Again!"

Yet another Scratch. Yet another block.

"Keep at it, Fennekin!"

And keep at it, Fennekin does. Scratch after Scratch after Scratch…yet each one was parried by a block from Clawitzer's big claw.

"Lincoln," Clyde said exasperatedly, "I don't think it's working! Clawitzer just keeps blocking and-"

"It's okay, Clyde," Lincoln told him and pointed at the ensuing battle. "Look."

Clyde focuses in on the fight and after a few seconds of scrutiny, realizes what's happening. Although, yes, Clawitzer was successfully defending herself from Fennekin's Scratch barrage, it came at a hefty price; each successive block meant that the claw would be subject to more pain, meaning that the Clawitzer's main artillery would soon become ineffective. Sure enough, Fennekin's assault only edged Clawitzer slowly but surely towards the lake as Fennekin relentlessly pressed forward.

"Oh, I get it now," Clyde said with a grin, "Clawitzer's claw's been getting hurt this whole time. The more she defends with it-"

"The more beaten up it gets," Lincoln finishes with a grin of his own. "And once its damaged far enough, she won't be able to attack or defend effectively anymore and once that happens…"

"Fennekiiiiiiin!" Fennekin yells out as with one last Scratch, it knocked Clawitzer's claw away, forcing it back and leaving her body defenseless.

'… _it'll be wide open for one final attack!'_

"Fennekin, go for Flame Charge!"

Lincoln's fists tightened as he looked on at Fennekin's entire body, which was still charged up with blue sparks, flare up as she surrounded herself in a red-hot flaming aura. With a cry of her name, Fennekin zoomed in on the Clawitzer and collided into it with a mighty Flame Charge.

"Claaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!"

The Clawitzer hurled backwards, whooshing out into the waters of the lake and skidded across the surface a few times before finally, her limp, scorched body sank into the deep, crystal blue. Meanwhile, Fennekin managed to fall on her side on land, a few inches away from the edge of the lake.

Thinking that the battle was over, Lincoln ran towards Fennekin, relieved that she came out of that battle unscathed and proud that she had done such a fantastic job.

"Way to go, Fennekin! That was…that was…"

He failed to find the proper word once he skidded to a stop in front of Fennekin, opting to pick her up and spin her around as he hugged her instead.

"Fenne!" Fennekin squealed with joy.

It's then that Lincoln realizes that he can't revel in the swell of his victory; Clyde, namely Herdier, needed attention, too. With Fennekin still in his arms, Lincoln runs towards Clyde, who's checking over Herdier anxiously.

"Is Herdier alright?" Lincoln asks once he's at his side.

Without looking up at him, Clyde flashes a sad smile and a small nod.

"Yeah. Like I said before, we've got some Sitrus Berries back at the campsite. And if those don't work, I've got an entire case of Potions. He'll be fine."

Lincoln sighs in relief, thanking the heavens that he acted when he did, lest Herdier suffer from that Clawitzer even more. Still, he knew that it was still his fault that Herdier had gone through so much and with that painful experience in mind, promises himself not to let his fear jeopardize another person…or Pokémon's well-being again.

"Lincoln?"

He looks down at Clyde, who looks back at him expectantly.

"Yeah?"

Clyde smiles, one without a hint of sadness this time.

"Is it safe to say that Fennekin has graduated to 'Lincoln Loud's official fishing partner'?"

Lincoln already knows the answer to that question but just to be sure Fennekin is alright with that proposal, he looks down and finds Fennekin eagerly receptive to the idea as she nods at him.

In all honesty, he's shocked that he even needed to see if she would like the idea.

"Yeah," Lincoln said. "It's definitely safe to say."

Clyde sighs. "It's a shame that we lost our catch, though."

"That's cool. Once Fennekin gets a little break, I'll go back out later and try again," Lincoln assures.

With that plan set in stone, Clyde takes Herdier's Pokéball and returns him back inside.

"Alright. In the meantime, I can whip up something for lunch," Clyde promised as he rose to his feet.

At the thought of having to taste Clyde's cooking again, Lincoln looked down at Fennekin and exchanged queasy, uncertain looks with one another.

"Relax, would you?" Clyde grumbled as he folded his arms. "I won't be going for stew this time. I'll just boil some instant rice I carried with me."

Letting out a tiny sigh of relief, Lincoln mumbled, "That's a relief."

Clyde glared. "What was that?"

Flashing a toothy grin and shuffling away to retrieve his fishing pole, Lincoln declares, "Nothing."

* * *

 _With the Clawitzer battle in the books, Lincoln and Clyde spent the rest of the day relaxing under the Sun, going about their day without a care in the world. Later, after eating a healthy dinner of boiled Goldeen, thanks entirely to Fennekin's aptitude in her newfound position as Lincoln's fishing partner, the two friends are ready to head off to bed but not before Lincoln recalls the events of the Clawitzer battle to her oldest (by two minutes) sister, Lana via Holo Caster…_

* * *

 _Later that evening…_

Once Lincoln told Clyde his plans to call up his family and let them know how well he was doing, Clyde asked to join in as well as he felt like checking in on Lincoln's family, too. Once his friend agreed, Clyde swapped into his yellow footsie pajamas and joined Lincoln inside his tent and sat by the lit LED lamp as Lincoln pulled out his Holo Caster and made his first call.

Deciding to check in on Lana first, mostly on a whim more than anything else, Lincoln was greeted with an enthusiastic "hello" from Lana and after exchanging generic sentiments of a fine well-being to one another, assuring the other that everything was going fine, Lincoln began telling Lana about the Clawitzer battle that took place merely hours ago.

At first, Lana didn't remain all that impressed but once Lincoln got to the part when his Fennekin charged in and started whooping butt, Lana's disposition took on a 180°.

"Really?! And then what happened?!" Lana asked excitedly, having been taken in by Lincoln's tale the instant her brother started getting to the "good part".

Lincoln, who was more than happy to explain, gave a knowing look to his friend and only other witness to the events, Clyde, before he continued.

"And then, the Clawitzer tried to hit Fennekin with a Water Gun attack but Fennekin was all…"

Lincoln put down the Holo Caster in front of him before he waved his arms around animatedly and made whooshing sounds as he exaggeratedly emulated the power behind Ember that had collided with the Clawitzer's Water Gun. To no surprise of his own, Lana's holographic projection looked on in amazement, her hands holding up her cheeks while her eyes sparkled.

"Then, Fennekin went in for the kill and knocked back the Clawitzer with another Ember," Lincoln continued once his pantomiming was over.

"Yeah?! And then?!" Lana urged more than asked of her brother.

Lincoln laughed. "Easy, Lana, I'm getting there…"

While Lincoln started telling the story again, Clyde zoned out of the conversation as he recalled everything that had happened. Although he was genuinely happy that they had gotten out of a tight spot without Herdier suffering much harm, he still couldn't help but feel just a tad bit envious of Lincoln's success. Sure, he contributed to knocking down the Clawitzer, too, but he couldn't say that he was anything but supplementary.

Fennekin was the real star. Fennekin had driven the Clawitzer back.

All he could do was rely on someone else to help him. While having a friend as support was nothing to be ashamed of, all the same, as a hopeful Ranger, he was supposed to be the one helping others and yet his first instinct was to lean on someone else and that same someone else was having confidence issues right before the big showdown even happened.

And yet, in the face of danger, Lincoln found a way out instead of tucking tail and running away.

That inspired confidence and those quick wits; Clyde wanted those same qualities in himself.

' _Fennekin really was amazing, wasn't she?'_ Clyde thought as he looked on at Lincoln. _'Looks like Herdier and I need to step it up a bit.'_

His deep mulling was shattered when his ears caught Lana's giddy squeal and he pulled himself back into the present, where Lincoln was lying on his stomach and kicking his feet about as he stared lovingly at Lana's hologram.

"Woah! Did all of that really happen?!" Lana asked, her fists clenched tightly and her smile clenched even tighter.

Lincoln nodded reassuringly.

"Yep. Fennekin was super cool back there," Lincoln said as he pointed back at Clyde. "Clyde's Herdier was really helpful, too. If not for his Leer and Helping Hand, we might've not had that one in the bag."

Lincoln missed the flattered smile that Clyde had on his face from the mention that his assistance got. He was too busy trying to figure out where Lana's present sad demeanor came from. Gone was the enthralled little girl that was sucked into his tale and was begging for more of his little skirmish to be unfolded.

Now, she was sadly looking on at him, as if Lincoln committed some sort of faux pas that earned her melancholy.

"Something wrong, Lana?" Lincoln asked worriedly.

Lana responded by pointing to her head.

"I just realized…you're not wearing my hat."

All Lincoln can do is blink and reply with a dumbfounded, "Huh?"

He reaches up to his head and pats it, realizing that indeed, Lana's hat is no longer there. It takes a second for the hat's whereabouts to come into his mind, which results in him letting out a little chuckle.

"Oh, right! I still have it, Lana, don't worry. I just put it away for later," Lincoln explained as he pointed to the corner of his tent that had his hat tucked away. "I usually wear it with my tracksuit and I just got finished washing it in the lake about an hour ago. I'll put it on once the tracksuit is dry."

Lana lets out a sigh of relief and her smile returns.

"Okay. For a minute, I thought you might've lost it."

Lincoln snorts indignantly, slightly offended that Lana would think that he'd ever part ways with her hat so carelessly.

"I'd never let that happen, Lana. I promise."

A beat of silence passes by as he scrambles about trying to find something else to say. He didn't want to bid her a good night just yet, though, so telling her so now didn't feel right. Thankfully, his sister has quite the conversation preserver in store for him.

"Um, can you promise me another thing, too?" Lana asked with a shy grin.

A promise for Lana? One of the most special people in his life? Why wouldn't he commit to that promise?

"Of course," Lincoln said without a second's hesitation.

"Can you…promise to come back soon? I really miss you, Lincoln."

Lincoln doesn't quite know what it is that inspires his eyes to swell with unshed tears. Whether it's the unusually poignant words from Lana of all people, her soft, pleading tone, the fact that this is the first time since his departure, that Lana is expressing a longing for her older brother…whatever it is, it tugs at Lincoln's heartstrings more than anything he's felt in a while.

"I miss you too, Lana. You, Lola, Lily, Mom and Dad…I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise," Lincoln affirms solemnly, doing his best not to let his chocked voice become apparent enough for Lana to detect.

He needed to be strong. The last thing he wanted was for his family to think that he was regretting his choice. He wanted to prove that he could see through his convictions and stick with them, no matter how much it might hurt him.

"Good night, Lincoln," Lana yawned and gave Lincoln a tiny wave.

"Good night, Lana," Lincoln said and shut off the Holo Caster quicker than he wanted.

But he just couldn't let Lana see him cry. With a few furious brushes of his pajama sleeve against his shut eyes, Lincoln wiped away the incriminating evidence of his sorrow.

Clyde, however, was quick to notice.

"Hey, bro, you alright?"

"Yeah," Lincoln nodded. "It just gets really hard to be out here whenever I call my family, y'know?"

Clyde scooted up towards him until he was sitting right beside him.

"Well, Lincoln, if you want to become the Kalos League Champion and see your family again as soon as you can, I've got the perfect solution."

Lincoln sniffled. "What's that?"

At that, Clyde lightly slapped his hand on Lincoln's shoulder.

"It's simple: train until you've gotten as strong as possible. Then, no one can beat you and you'll get to that championship title as soon as you can."

Clyde looked on with pride, both in himself for the advice and for Lincoln's shift in attitude, as his friend took on a smile.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was grateful that Clyde got him out of his bad funk…again. It was almost an amazement to him; as far as he remembered, it was always him that came up with the game plans because Clyde was almost always the one out of water when it came to confronting challenges. Whether it was switching classrooms or meeting new people to form study groups, Lincoln was the one who had the reassuring advice before he led the charge into the unknown.

But apparently, Clyde had done a lot of growing up behind his back and now, he found himself being inspired by him more than he through he ever could.

And speaking of his inspiration, Clyde's assurance back at the lake, the part where he told Lincoln not to hold back on Fennekin anymore and embrace the scars that came with reaching new heights…right there and then, he had another reason to listen to Clyde's words.

"And to do that, to get back to my family, I can't be afraid to train Fennekin past her limits anymore, can I?"

Clyde shook his head and grinned widely.

"Nope. But don't worry, if you ever need my help, I'll have Herdier lend a Helping Hand."

Clyde laughed at his pun and because of his self-indulgence of his "wit", he was taken off guard when he was smacked in the face with a pillow. He found his bearings again and looked up to find Lincoln standing over him while holding the pillow in question, his wicked smile betraying his intentions.

His giggles and cries of "Uncle!" fell on deaf ears. For now, he'd have to deal with the consequences of his wordplay as his best friend in the world battered him repeatedly with his pillow.

* * *

 _Although the boys found themselves in quite the pinch, both literally and figuratively at the claws of the Clawitzer, with teamwork and trust, they were able to take overcome the challenge and reel in a bit of experience along the way._

 _But although they kicked some serious fin today, their journey has only just begun. As_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _continues, we'll see what other fish they have to fry!_

* * *

 **A/N:** I'd really like to get feedback on how I portrayed the battle between Clawitzer vs. Fennekin & Herdier. It's my first time writing out a Pokémon battle, so I could use some advice if there was anything that I did that didn't work.

Also, in case you were wondering, the moves the Clawitzer used were Crabhammer, Water Gun, Vice Grip, and Dark Pulse.

One more thing, this A/N goes out to the guest who wanted me to leave my thoughts about his/her idea. While I'd love to do so, I've already explained that I'd like to answer questions in private and since I can't do that with you, I'm afraid I won't be disclosing my thoughts on your idea. All the same, though, thanks for the review. :)


	6. With Pokémon Like These

**A/N:** Howdy, everyone. I'm back again with yet another "filler" chapter. I won't go into detail about what I think filler means in relation to this fic. If you want all the dirt on that, just go on over and read Chapter 5's **A/N** at the beginning. All in all, I'm trying not to make it a waste of time.

With that said, I've had this sinking feeling that earlier on in the story, some of you felt disappointed with the way a certain "event" took place. I'll see if you can see what I'm doing once it comes to pass. Let me know what you think about that.

Okay, now then, time for "Chapter 6: With Pokémon Like These".

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _It was just another day under the Sun for Lincoln and Clyde, fishing out by the lake near their campsite. However, the fun times soon came to an end when Lincoln reeled in a most unusual catch…a wild Clawitzer._

 _Herdier, who had been the designated Pokémon fishing partner ever since the boys arrived in Santalune Forest, was quickly thrashed and left at the mercy of the Clawitzer's unforgiving grip._

 _After much prompting and begging from Clyde, Lincoln finally stirred to action and released his Fennekin to aid Herdier. Once she was imbued with power from Herdier's Helping Hand, as well as pumped up with the empowering effects of Howl, Fennekin pressed on in the offensive, clashing with the wild Clawitzer until, at last, Fennekin won the battle with a mighty Flame Charge, sending the Howitzer Pokémon back into the abyss of the lake from whence it came._

 _With his confidence in his Fennekin's abilities fortified, Lincoln was ready to continue Fennekin's training without trepidation, with the Santalune City Gym badge as the desired fruit of his labor once everything was said and done…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6:** With Pokémon Like These

* * *

 _Santalune Forest. June 24th, 2036. 5:32 PM._

"I hope you're ready to lose, Clyde," Lincoln taunted as he glared at the boy in question, who was standing a good teen feet away while his Herdier stood faithfully by his side.

Lincoln himself had his trusty Fennekin in front of him, glaring daggers at Herdier and blowing a bit of steam out of her ears. Herdier responded by standing his ground, gnashing his teeth at the Fox Pokémon and refusing to be intimidated.

Both Trainers and Pokémon didn't square off too far away from the campsite. They were too angry to think about moving their battle away from their possessions as a precaution to avoid collateral damage.

"A couple of easy training exercises and suddenly, you're king of the mountain?" Clyde fired back. "Guess I'm gonna have to knock you down a peg."

"With your Herdier?" Lincoln sneered, breaking his furious glare to flash a haughty grin and folded his arms. "You mean the one that Fennekin had to bail out from that Clawitzer? Oooooh, I'm shaking."

Lincoln smiled inwardly as that insult got Clyde to bare his teeth and clench his fists.

"You'll be _crying_ after Herdier's wiped the floor with you!" Clyde retorted.

"Pah!" Lincoln scoffed. "I'll be crying from _laughter_ once Fennekin takes you down in the blink of an eye!"

"Don't count on it!"

Lincoln took an inch forward with an angry stomp as he pointed a finger at Clyde.

"Enough talk! We gonna do this or not?!"

* * *

 _What's this?! Lincoln and Clyde at each other's throats?! Fennekin and Herdier ready to face off in a heated battle?! What kind of Earth-splitting, universe-shattering, reality bending, cataclysmic event could've inspired such seething vitriol between two best friends?!_

 _The answer, like any grand mystery, must start at the beginning…_

* * *

 _Santalune Forest. June 24th, 2036. 11:03 AM._

"Keep at it, Herdier!" Clyde shouted as he stood from afar and watched Herdier constantly trying to get at a constantly dodging Fennekin with his Bite attack.

"Don't let him touch you, Fennekin!" Lincoln encouraged as he stood by Clyde.

A Bite from Herdier. A dodge from Fennekin. A Bite from Herdier. A dodge from Fennekin. That had been the training routine that Lincoln constructed for Fennekin ever since the Clawitzer fight. Ever since that encounter, Lincoln understood that Fennekin would need much more than refining her attacks to stand a chance in future battles with Trainers; she'd have to get experience fighting Pokémon head on.

Hence why, in addition to the move training that Lincoln had started from the beginning, Lincoln would ask Clyde to have his Herdier constantly trying to hit Fennekin with his Bite attack while he ordered Fennekin to dodge for as long as she could until she got tired out and the second she did…

"Stop, Herdier!"

A worn out Fennekin flopped onto her side in the grass, watching helplessly as Herdier moved in for the kill with another Bite…

…only to stop in his tracks as his Trainer ordered him to do. As soon as he did, Herdier wearily took a spot next to Fennekin and laid down gingerly on the grass as he tried to regain his breath back from all the running around he had to endure as well.

Both Pokémon looked up as their respective Trainers ran to them, both with proud smiles on their faces.

"You alright, Fennekin?" Lincoln called out to Fennekin.

"Kin," Fennekin replied happily as she sat up on her haunches and waited for Lincoln to approach her.

"Way to keep on your toes," Lincoln praised as he dropped to his knees and gave Fennekin a couple of pets behind the ears.

Once he finished, he pulled out a twig out of his pocket and laid it at Fennekin's feet and giggled as Fennkin eagerly swooped down and started eating the twig with wild abandon. He was proud of what she had been able to do thus far with the dodge training and he was excited to see the results of training by the time he and Clyde hit Santalune City. Not only would Fennekin's dodging skills get a boost but her stamina would improve the more she kept at it.

Meanwhile, Clyde returned Herdier back in his Pokéball and looked down at his stopwatch, that he had been using for the entire Bite-Dodge exercise, to check for the time. He smiled from ear-to-ear at what he discovered.

"I think that was Fennekin's best time yet; two minutes, thirty-eight seconds," Clyde said.

As Clyde stuffed the stopwatch back in his pocket, he had to wonder where Lincoln got the idea for this kind of training for Fennekin. He assumed he would be content with simply making Fennekin's moves stronger but the idea of using Herdier to help Fennekin with her training, at least in this way, never crossed his mind once.

"Say, how did you come up with this training exercise, anyway?" Clyde asked Lincoln, who was still amusedly watching Fennekin nibbling away at her twig.

Without turning around, Lincoln replied, "Well, remember " _Ace Savvy: Detective Files #21"_?"

"You mean the issue where Savvy and his Arcanine got attacked by a wild Reuniclus and Arcanine dodged all those Future Sight blasts?"

"Yep," Lincoln nodded as he turned to face Clyde. "That's the one. I was thinking of using that type of scenario here with your Herdier acting as the Reuniclus. I realized that that Clawitzer attack was her first real battle and I wanted to get her used to having Pokémon trying to attack her. Training her by herself has helped but it doesn't beat experience with practice with other Pokémon, y'know? Of course, it's not exactly the same as the Reuniclus since Herdier, at least from what I can guess, can't use long ranged attacks but hey, close combat works just as well."

Though Lincoln didn't realize it, Clyde began musing over what he had just said; the inability of Herdier to use long ranged attacks. That realization came to the forefront during that Clawitzer fight. Herdier could only get up close and hope for the best while the Clawitzer could attack from afar and at close range. That fact never bothered Clyde before; he had always been of help to Lincoln and his fishing before Lincoln decided to let Fennekin tag along.

Fennekin…Fennekin could do the same as that Clawitzer, too. Long and short ranged assault. Unlike Herdier, Fennekin had multiple options. She could even power herself up with Howl. With that realization in mind, though the thought sickened Clyde to the point where he began to question his loyalty to Herdier…

Did Herdier's shortcoming mean that he had to be brushed aside for something newer, something "better"? Something that could better assist him in his Ranger training?

Something like…like Lincoln's Fennekin.

"Clyde?"

Even if the idea of having a second Pokémon didn't seem wrong on the outside, to Clyde, it felt like betrayal because of the reason that idea was spurred.

That day, that frightening day by the lake, Clyde could only stand by and watch as his Herdier, the Pokémon that he had trained since the beginning, was brought down with such ease. Even if he trained Herdier more, it wouldn't make up for the glaring weaknesses that Herdier had now and would always have, weaknesses that Fennekin didn't seem to have.

"Clyde?"

Clyde snapped out of it and looked quickly at Lincoln, hoping to do so without him noticing that he had been deep in thought over such a morbid, heinous idea. From the slight frown his friend was giving him, along with the look of concern in his eyes, he wasn't fast enough.

"Everything okay?"

"I…"

What was he supposed to say? That he wanted what he had out of deeming Herdier flawed? Even if it wasn't out of a lust for power or status, it still felt low of him to measure Herdier by his strength instead of his loyalty and eagerness to commit to a good cause.

He couldn't tell him the truth, not if he wanted to have Lincoln's friendship. No way would Lincoln ever want to be friends with him if he figured out how shamelessly Clyde had labeled his own Pokémon.

"Yeah, everything's cool, Lincoln," Clyde said lowly, turning around so that Lincoln couldn't see his face.

Even with his back turned, Clyde could feel Lincoln raising to his feet and edging just a tad bit closer to him. Too close for Clyde's comfort.

"You sure, buddy? I mean, you've been helping me out a ton these past few weeks and if something's bugging you, I want to start returning the favor."

When Clyde felt Lincoln place a comforting hand on his shoulder, without thinking, he harshly smacked it away.

"I said I'm _fine_ , Lincoln," Clyde scowled through his teeth.

At this point, Clyde was hoping that Lincoln would shrink away and leave him be, giving him ample time to put himself in check over the Herdier business, lest he let envy of Lincoln's Fennekin take root.

He was stunned when he heard what Lincoln had to bitterly say to him in response.

"Well…fine. Whatever. Sorry for trying to, y'know, be a friend?"

Again, without a second thought, Clyde snapped back with an abrasive retort and one that he knew that Lincoln didn't deserve.

"Friends know when to mind their own business, Lincoln."

With that, he marched back to their campsite, not once looking back at Lincoln's hurt expression as he did.

* * *

 _Santalune Forest. June 24th, 2036. 5:26 PM._

Ever since that brief but tense confrontation, Clyde refused to look at Lincoln and vice versa. However, unlike with Lincoln, Clyde was only doing it to keep up appearances and not out of real anger. It wasn't fair to treat Lincoln like that and Clyde knew it…

But all the same, he had some issues that he felt that he needed to straighten out before he could talk to Lincoln or even look at his Herdier the same way again. As he watched from a close distance, just outside his tent, as Herdier rolled around in the grass, simply enjoying himself, Clyde couldn't help but feel like a monster. Again, he knew that there was nothing wrong with his Herdier. Yes, he wasn't perfect by any means (he still needed help differentiating between blue and green balls for one thing) but that didn't mean that he was worthless trash that he had to toss aside for something else.

And all the same, despite knowing that match, Clyde couldn't get that painful image of Herdier and the Clawitzer out of his head. His painful wails, his squirming body, the bruises that splotched all over him…it was a harsh, painful reminder that Herdier had a huge wall to climb to stand against big threats but even if he did, would it be possible to even get in a position where he could handle any wild encounter? He had done so successfully up until that point but then again, that Clawizter was definitely out of the ordinary. Apparently, according to Lincoln, not even his father had caught a wild Clawizter before which meant that the Clawizter fight was somewhat of a litmus test to see if Herdier could handle special, rare challenges…

And he couldn't cut the mustard.

"Her."

"Huh?" Clyde slurred as he snapped himself out of his thoughts to look down and see his Herdier, sitting in front of him.

"Herdier."

"Oh, hey, Herdier," Clyde said with a forced smile.

"Her?"

Even though he couldn't fully understand what Pokémon could say, Clyde thought that he had a good idea about what Herdier was asking him. Even his Pokémon felt like putting him on the spot.

"Nothing. Really, Herdier, it's nothing to get worried about," Clyde insisted.

Instead of dropping the subject like he hoped he would, Clyde tensed up when Herdier just glared at him incredulously as he tilted his head.

This time, Clyde smiled for real. It wasn't like Herdier to ignore a problem that he thought his Trainer was going through. Even though it made him feel guilty for thinking that he needed any other Pokémon, Clyde was still grateful for Herdier's loyalty.

If only he could say the same thing for himself.

Clyde shook his head, wanting to get all the bad vibes out of his mind so that Herdier wouldn't pick up on them.

Wanting to give his Pokémon a distraction, Clyde said, "Hey, listen, why don't you get some wood for the fire? We'll need it to cook."

"Herdier!"

With that, Herdier left his Trainer behind. What Clyde had requested wasn't a lie; Herdier was usually responsible for gathering firewood and after the catch of Goldeen that Lincoln and Fennekin reeled in a few hours ago, they needed to boil some water to heat up their meal anyways.

That reminded Clyde that yes, even though Herdier didn't seem as capable as Herdier in some areas, when it came down to procuring supplies, Herdier couldn't be beat.

' _Ah, who needs another Pokémon, anyways? Herdier's great. I don't need to replace him. He's…'_

Before he knew it, the memory of Herdier's defeat came to mind again, forcing Clyde to relive his Pokémon's helpless state over and over and over again from different angles.

And because of that, he started growing more and more irritated, not just at his mind's refusal to relent but because of…because of Herdier.

Even though Clyde was grateful that she had been around to help and even though Clyde had heard Lincoln give tons of credit to Herdier for the assist in support, he wasn't seeing it from that perspective anymore.

Now, for the first time since their fight, Clyde was getting surly over the thought of Lincoln himself and by extension, Fennekin, the Pokémon that was making him feel insecure in the first place.

' _He's just fine! I don't need anyone else! I don't! Just because Lincoln wants to flaunt around with his Fennekin like he owns the world, doesn't mean I nee-'_

"Hey! Herdier, what're you doing?! Give those back!"

"Fenne!"

Clyde looked up, wondering where all the shouting was coming from. His eyes scanned around the campsite for a little bit before he spotted where the noises were coming from.

About fifteen feet away, Lincoln was standing up, pointing at Herdier with an angry look on his face. Fennekin was by Lincoln's side, glaring at Herdier furiously. Meanwhile, Herdier look at both Lincoln and Herdier with some reservation, clearly put on the spot for whatever it was that caused Lincoln to snap at him. Clyde also noticed that in Herdier's mouth were a couple of little sticks.

Clyde steadily rose to his feet and marched over to the spectacle to put his input on the situation. It was apparently loud enough for all three of them to noticed him fast approaching.

From what Clyde had seen, Lincoln was demeaning his Herdier for simply following orders and even if he knew that Lincoln had every right to be mad at him for his behavior earlier, that didn't mean that he could take out his frustrations on Herdier.

And he would let him know that to his face.

"Lincoln, what're you doing yelling at Herdier like that?! He's just getting firewood!" Clyde shouted, watching with a big of satisfaction as Lincoln flinched.

That melted away the second that Lincoln met him with an angry glare of his own.

"Yeah, well, next time, tell your Loyal Dolt Pokémon that Fennekin's twigs are off limits!"

"Kin!" Fennekin barked in agreement, still not taking her eyes off of Herdier, whom by now, had dropped the twigs out of his mouth and stood his ground, emboldened by his Trainer's defense on his behalf.

"Hey!" Clyde fired back. "Don't you go insulting Herdier! He's way cooler than that twig-eating twit!"

Clyde almost regretted the words as soon as they left his lips and judging by the expression on Lincoln's face, that had intensified in absolute rage, he would be regretting it for a different reason; even more division between the two than before and all because he couldn't come to terms with his insecurities.

But the next words that Lincoln had in store for him changed that outlook.

"Last time I checked, you were begging me to send out that 'twig-eating twit' to help save your Herdier, so I'd watch what I say, Clyde!"

He was trembling and shaking now, trying to keep a lid on his fury that threatened to erupt at any second now.

But…but that was just a double whammy. No, a triple. Lincoln had just brought up the reason why he was like this to begin with and used it to demean his Pokémon.

Not even he, with all that he had been thinking about today, would ever think about Herdier like that and it was high time that Lincoln learned a lesson in humility.

So, he wanted to flaunt his victory around, huh? Fine by him! He'd just have to put him through a crash course of humility! He's show him! Herdier could be awesome, too!

"You just asked for it now, Lincoln! Herdier, come over here! We're gonna show this powder-haired punk what happens when you cross Herdier and Clyde!"

Without a second's hesitation, Herdier followed Clyde as he walked away from Lincoln until they were separated by about teen feet.

"You and me! Pokémon battle! Right here, right now!" Clyde shouted at Lincoln.

Instead of answering his challenge right away, like Clyde expected, he was taken aback when Lincoln looked like he was contemplating the challenge, as if a moment of clarity had come to him and he felt like this was dumb.

Deep down, Clyde wished that it came down to that. Now that he let the gravity of his words sink into him, now he felt like a real jerk, using a battle to bolster his self-esteem just so he could not feel like trash anymore and take out his anger on Lincoln. Yes, he had insulted Herdier but only because of the way he had treated him. If not for his off-putting treatment, they would've never winded up like this.

"Oh, ho ho ho…is _that_ right? Fine!"

Clyde felt his world turning upside when Lincoln gave him a brash, cocky grin as he waited for Fennekin to get in position next to him.

This was it, he was going to fight his friend now and all because he couldn't keep a lid on his big mouth. But just as things started seeming glum, Clyde had an idea: even though Lincoln truly wanted to school him, he knew that he was angrier with him than with Herdier. If he could keep him distracted with stalling, perhaps, Lincoln would just give up and call off the battle out of frustration.

It was a long shot but it was better than giving into some stupid feud that didn't need to happen.

"I hope you're ready to lose, Clyde."

* * *

 _And now, for the staggering resolution…_

* * *

"Enough talk! We gonna do this or not?!"

This was it. Time to see if that stalling would pay off.

"Yeah, as soon as you promise not to wet yourself!" Clyde bantered with a faux frown on his face.

This seemed to take Lincoln off his stride for a bit as he looked at Clyde incredulously. He recovered soon after with a retort of his own and one that hit Clyde where it hurt.

"Why would you care?! It'd smell better than that puke you call stew!"

It took everything he could not to let Lincoln's harsh words get to him but even though Clyde was still playing along, he still let some of his hurt feelings slip in with the next insult.

"The only thing I smell is a bunch of excuses from you not to do this already! What, afraid you'll lose?!"

And just like that, Lincoln returned serve…

"If that's what you're really thinking, then your brain's even more messed up than I thought!"

Followed by Clyde doing the same…

"Don't throw stones in glass houses!"

Then Lincoln again…

"At least I can throw a rock without getting tired!"

Then Clyde again…

"Speaking of tired, I'm tired of having to look at that ugly face of yours!"

It was working! Clyde resisted the urge to smile and ruin the façade. Lincoln was playing right into his hands and Clyde supposed that it was working so well because Lincoln was truly angry and the more Clyde winded him up, the easier he was to exploit.

He knew he'd definitely have to apologize after Lincoln stormed off but for now, he had a role to play.

"What was that about glass houses, you hypocrite?!"

"Don't change the subject!"

"You were the one who brought up the glass houses, idiot!"

"Yeah, well it was a one-off thing so just shut up about it already!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up! I said to shut up first so there!"

"Since when does anything you want ever matter, McBum?!"

"Says the guy who can't sleep without his precious little Buneary doll, Lincoln Loudmouth!"

"Now who's changing subjects?!"

* * *

 _Fifteen minutes later…_

"And don't even get me started on those teeth! What, are you part Rattata or something?!"

"I'll take bad teeth over a bad _everything else_!"

By now, Clyde was exasperated. He was hoping that Lincoln would forget the battle by now but he stood his ground, as if he were waiting to make the first move so he could have an excuse to duke it out. For the past fifteen minutes, the argument came down to petty insults, things that would have never bothered Lincoln under normal circumstances but were only winding him up more and more with each jab thrown at him.

But Clyde had a feeling that these softballs he was throwing weren't cutting it. He had to get personal, hopefully to the point where Lincoln would get in his face and probably denounce him as a friend. It's not like he deserved to be with Lincoln, anyways. Not just for his evaluation of Herdier but because Lincoln only wanted to hear him out and yet, just so he could keep up appearances, Clyde rejected him.

' _I'm sorry, Lincoln, I really hope you can forgive me one of these days.'_

" _I'll_ take a bad 'everything else' over having a bad friend like you!"

Clyde pretended to pant of exhaustion, as a byproduct of their shouting match, as he looked on at Lincoln's wounded expression; his eyes widened, his bottom lip trembling, his fists unclenched and arms hanging limply by their sides.

It was too much. He had gone too far and pushed Lincoln away in a way that he never thought he'd ever do. They had never said anything so hurtful to one another. They had their share of fights over the years but not to the point where they'd call the other person a bad friend.

Before he could reach out to Lincoln with an apology, his "bad friend" spoke out first.

"Oh…oh yeah," Lincoln stammered with his head down, doing his best not to cry, "well-"

Before he could try to say another word, Lincoln took a good look at Clyde's surroundings. All this time, he had been so focused on Clyde that he didn't bother to notice that Herdier…was gone.

"What the?" Lincoln muttered as he looked down by his feet and realized…

Fennekin was missing, too.

Clyde picked up on Lincoln's movements and saw that, to his shock, that both Pokémon, who were supposed to be in the battle that Clyde proposed, weren't where they were.

What the heck happened?

Both boys, throughout their looking around, finally met eyes and the moment they did, they found a mutual understanding: they both wanted their Pokémon to be safe and sound and needed to get to the bottom of their disappearance. They ran out towards each other and once they met halfway, they hurried over to the campsite, thoughts racing in their heads about where their Pokémon had disappeared to.

' _Where are you, Fennekin?!'_

' _Herdier, where did you go?!'_

The answer came to them once the campsite was in full view of them. Both boys halted in their tracks and looked on at the sight that nearly made their jaws hit the floor.

"Wait, when did Fennekin get over there?" Lincoln wondered aloud.

"Herdier? What do you think you're doing?" Clyde said more than asked.

There, right next to Lincoln's tent, were Fennekin and Herdier, sitting side-by-side and gazing up at the afternoon sky contently.

While the boys didn't know it, both Pokémon had slipped away from their Trainers heated argument and seemed to have come to an impasse. Fennekin was munching away happily at some twigs that Herdier had gotten for her. Meanwhile, Herdier went to gather firewood somewhere else and placed the sticks where the campfire was usually set up.

Both Lincoln and Clyde, while not having seen the resolution for themselves, knew that the Pokémon acted in a way that was most reasonable.

Lincoln chuckled. "Well, looks like Fennekin and Herdier realized that the fight was stupid, too."

Clyde could only agree with his friend's sentiments. It was stupid. There was no reason for Clyde to get in Lincoln's face like that and…

Hold on. Lincoln realized the fight was dumb?! Just like him?!

"Wait, _you_ thought our fight was dumb?" Clyde asked as he turned to Lincoln. "So did I! That's why I kept saying all that mean stuff; I was stalling the whole time!"

"You too?!" Lincoln asked exasperatedly, a revelation that both pleased and shocked Clyde to the core. "Then why didn't you say anything earlier?!"

"Because I thought you were taking it seriously and I didn't want to admit that I was wrong for being a jerk when it looked like you didn't care about making up!"

"Me too!"

Lincoln and Clyde exchanged surprised looks, looking at one another as if a wild Carnivine came out the ground and chomped off their heads.

"Wait…what?" they asked at the same time.

They only gave each other a second before trying to speak again.

"You mean you…?" they asked, again, simultaneously.

After yet another jinx-inducing overlap, they both studied each other's expressions, hoping not to talk over each other yet again. When it seemed like Lincoln wasn't going to cut in again, Clyde took the initiative and asked Lincoln a question that he as dying to know the answer to.

"You…you thought you were being a jerk? But…why?"

Okay, so besides insulting Herdier, Lincoln hadn't done anything wrong today, certainly not to the extent that he had done. He had to wonder, just what the heck could Lincoln feel so guilty about?

He paid close attention when his question just made Lincoln look almost sick to his stomach, as if he had just swallowed a box of thumbtacks.

"I was getting nosy when I shouldn't have. You were right, Clyde, friends should learn when to mind their own business. I really wanted to help you but deep down, I also wanted to pull my own weight for a change."

"What'd you mean by that?" Clyde asked, pondering where Lincoln got the idea that he was being a burden.

"Sure, I fish for food but you've been keeping us safe out here with all your tips and advice, you brought me out my funk when I was missing my family, you convinced me not to hold back on Fennekin's training, and if not for you, I would've never sent Fennekin out to fight that Clawitzer. Plus, that Helping Hand and Leer was the only reason that we won. Yeah, Fennekin did the fighting but you played a huge role, too."

It was there and then that Clyde began understanding what Lincoln was getting at. Of course, he didn't agree with him in the slightest but if Lincoln had been carrying around an imaginary scorecard with him and tallied up the deeds of assistance between them, and found himself coming up short, it was no wonder that Lincoln felt inadequate.

"I just wanted to help you after everything you've done for me so when the time came for me to step up and get you through a rough patch, I jumped at it. But in the process, I did so without caring about your feelings. I pushed you when I shouldn't have. And Clyde…"

He met Clyde's eyes with a look of utter sorrow and regret, something that Clyde felt that Lincoln didn't deserve at all.

"I'm really sorry about that."

Before Lincoln lament any further, Clyde knew he had to be honest. Not just for the same of Lincoln's restoration but to put closure to everything. He'd rather face condemnation for his thoughts than make Lincoln suffer because of his refusal to be brave.

"No, Lincoln. You don't have anything to be sorry about. In fact, _I'm_ the one who needs to be sorry."

Lincoln, now looking more befuddled than sad, just waited to Clyde to explain himself.

"I'll tell you the reason why I felt…no, why I'm _feeling_ so down but once you hear it, you won't have any respect for me, just like I don't have any respect for myself."

Lincoln continued to just stand by in silence and Clyde knew that now there was no turning back. Now, he would have let his feelings come to the surface and just accept whatever came with them.

"Herdier's an awesome Pokémon and a good friend. I always thought that when I became a Ranger, my Pokémon would be something that could handle anything, take on any storm and walk out dry as a bone. But then…then some random Clawitzer jumps out of nowhere and beats the stuffing out of him. And then, who comes along to save the day?"

Clyde pointed to Lincoln's Pokémon, who was having a lively, friendly conversation with Herdier.

"Fennekin, the Pokémon of the friend that I'm supposed to be protecting. I'm supposed to swoop in and solve everything. That's what Rangers do, after all and that's why I wanted to be a Ranger. Ever since you got me into comic books, I wanted to be just like them when I grew up and Pokémon Rangers are the closest things we have to that in real life.

But…but I failed. I failed to make Herdier strong enough. I failed to protect my friends. I failed…and you succeeded where I couldn't."

Clyde felt tears cropping up in his eyes but he refused to wipe them away. Lincoln deserved to see everything, no matter how small and helpless it would make him look. He deserved to know the full brunt of his woes and judge him how he saw fit.

"I'll admit, I got a little jealous of you after that and truth be told, I still am. But you know what the worst part of it was? For a little bit of time, I thought Herdier was the problem. I thought that just because Fennekin could do things that Herdier couldn't, that meant that I had to get another Pokémon, one just like yours."

Clyde missed out on Lincoln's face shifting to one of shock.

"And by doing that, I'd be saying that I didn't have enough faith in Herdier and that at the drop of a hat…"

The tears were flowing freely now and Clyde, once again, resolved to do nothing as the waterworks ran down his face like raging river.

"I'd…I'd just throw him away like trash. That's why I didn't want you to know. I didn't want you thinking about how horrible I was as a friend and as a Pokémon owner. But now, you know everything and I wouldn't blame you if you hated me. I know I would."

With that, Clyde plopped down on the grass on his knees, doing nothing to stop himself from openly crying. It was embarrassing, being so exposed and vulnerable despite his wrongdoing, but he didn't deserve to have any comfort right now. Right now, all he could think about was Lincoln and how he had to despise him right no-

"Clyde?"

He didn't want to hope that his ears were actually picking up a…soft, almost forgiving tone in Lincoln's voice. It was too good to be true and too good for Clyde even if it were true.

"Clyde, look at me."

Despite the horrible shape he was, Clyde did as he was asked, looking up to see that Lincoln was…actually no angry at him.

When Lincoln bent down to get on the same level as him, it was clear that, in fact, Lincoln didn't appear to be the least bit vengeful.

"Clyde, there's nothing about you to hate. Nothing, you hear me?"

Now, not only was Lincoln appearing not to judge him so harshly but now…now he was trying to give him reprieve?

No. No, he didn't deserve it. He just didn't.

"But Lincoln, I-"

"Don't say another word," Lincoln said sternly.

Clyde complied with the request, wanting to see where Lincoln was going with this. If Lincoln truly felt that he didn't need to loathe himself, he just had to know where Lincoln's train of thought was headed.

"Clyde, just because you want to have another Pokémon doesn't mean that you want to get rid of Herdier. That's silly. I mean, look at me for example. I love Fennekin to pieces but there's no way I'm winning the Lumiose Conference with just her. I need a team, a team that covers each other's backs and supports one another."

Okay. Well, maybe that was true for Lincoln but-

"No one's perfect, Clyde. Just because Herdier can't shoot fireballs out of his mouth doesn't mean that he's worthless and it doesn't mean that _you_ think he's worthless, either. You just understand that you have to have some back-up, just like you and Herdier backed Fennekin up."

Alright, so perhaps now, Clyde was beginning to see that he had overreacted just a teeny bit. But that didn't mean that he wasn't a jerk. Surely, he could've just-

"Herdier can't do it all, just like Fennekin can't do it all. If you wanna have another Pokémon, go for it. I'm sure Herdier won't mind at all and neither should you."

Clyde smiled. It was no use. Lincoln just wouldn't let up, no matter what part of his mind wanted him to feel bad about himself.

And besides that, Lincoln did have a point. One Pokémon couldn't do it all and it was okay to seek help. Herdier had his strengths and his weaknesses just like Fennekin did. There was no reason to think that Fennekin was some all-powerful Pokémon that could do it all and the same applied to Herdier.

Perhaps…perhaps getting a new Pokémon, one that would aid him like Herdier did, wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Clyde broke out of his mulling and found Lincoln to be looking expectantly at him, all while giving his friend a huge smile. Overwhelmed with emotion, Clyde reached out and wrapped Lincoln in a huge hug, one that made the boy tense at first but was quickly reciprocated just as vigorously.

The hug lasted for about ten seconds. Then another ten seconds. Then another. Then another.

At once, after realizing how much time passed, both boys blushed and broke away from each other, looking anywhere but at their friend.

"Okay, that got kinda awkward," Clyde mumbled.

"Was just about to say the same thing," Lincoln said listlessly.

Once they looked at one another again, instead of shrinking away, they both just laughed at what they had done. That was a moment that they were taking to the grave.

"How about we just go for bro fists instead? Deal?" Lincoln proposed and put out his fist for Clyde to bump knuckles against.

Clyde granted the gesture its due in a heartbeat and completed the bro fist.

"Deal."

* * *

 _Later that evening…_

After eating dinner, Lincoln retreated in his tent for the night, hoping to have a chat with a certain lab owner. Once he made it inside, but not before making sure that he hadn't been followed, Lincoln took out his Holo Caster from his backpack.

' _A Pokémon like Fennekin, eh? Don't worry, Clyde, I'll be sure to help you out with that. Just gotta know the right people.'_

Within a few seconds, Lincoln had his Holo Caster powered on and placed it in front of him. After shifting through his contact list, he found the number he was looking for and pressed the name for an immediate call-up. The Holo Caster hummed as the call rang through and within practically no time at all, the holographic projection of Professor Spruce popped up.

Lincoln's eyes widened in surprise. Instead of her usual lab coat and green sweater get-up, she was clad in green pajamas and a large green sleeping cap. Although it did make sense for someone to be in their PJ's at night, still, Lincoln had never seen an authoritative figure, outside of his parents, walk around in their pajamas before.

Plus, not that Lincoln was going to tell the Professor this to her holographic face, but she looked downright adorable.

"Ah, if it isn't Lincoln Loud. What can I do for you?" the Professor said cordially.

Lincoln rubbed the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Professor, you look like you're ready for bed. Is this a bad time?"

"Oh, most certainly not," Professor Spruce insisted. "I've already gone through the pre-snooze rituals before submerging myself in the bliss of nocturnal slumb-"

"Hey, Professor?! Which bedtime story do you want me to ready to you?!" a familiar voice (that never failed to make Lincoln's insides tingle) shouted from the hologram. _"The Ugly Ducklett"_ or _"Goldilocks and the Three Beartics_ "?!"

"" _The Ugly Ducklett"_ will suffice, Leni!" the Professor yelled back as she turned to address her assistant.

"Kay!" Leni answered back.

With that, Professor Spruce returned her gaze back to Lincoln, who was doing his best to stifle at laugh. It was so easy to forget that despite her brains, she was still a little gir

"Anyways, what reason do you have for contacting me?" Professor Spruce inquired. "I trust your expedition has gone smoothly so far, yes? No bumps in the road requiring my input?"

Lincoln shook his head. "No, nothing like that. In fact, everything's going great. I'm training Fennekin really hard and once the Lumiose Conference is over, we'll be heading to Santalune City so that I can challenge the Gym Leader."

Professor Spruce quirked an eyebrow.

"'We'll'? Someone else is accompanying you?"

"Well, uh, you see, Professor-"

Before he could fully reply, he noticed a certain dark skinned, bespectacled best friend pop his head through the flap of his tent, smiling all the while.

"Hey, Lincoln. I heard you talking in here and I figured that you were either a) going crazy and talking to yourself or b) talking to…"

Once he noticed that the operating Holo Caster in front of Lincoln, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, it's b). Good thing, too. There's nothing in " _From Recruit to Ranger"_ about dealing with psychosis."

"Oh, hey Clyde," Lincoln said. "Actually, I'm glad you're here. Take a seat next to me and I'll introduce you to my mentor."

With that, Clyde did as Lincoln wanted, entering the tent and popping a squat right next to his friend.

"Clyde, this is the Professor I was talking about," Lincoln said as he pointed to Professor Spruce's hologram.

Clyde scooted up a bit closer, taking a good long hard look at the Professor. He had already heard about her from Lincoln on the day that they left their homes, so he wasn't completely surprised at her appearance. Still, hearing about her was one thing but _seeing_ her with his own eyes was a different experience altogether.

"You mean the four-year-old?" Clyde asked, wanting to be absolutely sure that he was, in fact, speaking with a highly-educated, super genius toddler.

"Four-and-a-half, thank you," Professor Spruce corrected. "And yes, I am the Professor that fostered the needs for Lincoln's Pokémon League pursuits. I am Professor Lisa Spruce. I take it you're the companion that Lincoln referred to earlier?"

"Yep, that's me," Clyde said. "Pleasure to meet you in the…"

Clyde was going to say "flesh" but realized that the Professor's current state didn't warrant that kind of greeting.

"Uh, hologram," he finished shyly, his face red at making such a foolish first impression.

An awkward stretch of silence passed after that remark but Clyde finally found the wherewithal to initiate conversation after clearing his throat.

"Anyways, I'm Lincoln's best friend and confidant, Clyde McBride."

Professor Spruce's face took on an edge of curiosity, something that Lincoln had never seen from her before.

"Did you say…McBride?" she asked.

Clyde nodded. "Yeah."

"Interesting. I never imagined I'd be talking with the son of Harold McBride, of all people."

Immediately, Clyde stiffened, his body tense with nervousness that made his heart thump against his chest. Lincoln took notice of the thousand-yard stare on his friend's face and shook him a bit to get him to get a grip.

"Clyde?"

Instantly, Clyde snapped out of it, hoping to regain his composure before Lincoln could notice. But, much like earlier in the day, he was far too late.

"Clyde, is everything okay?"

Clyde knew that he could've just repeated his mistake and tell Lincoln to buzz off but still, the last thing he wanted to talk about was… _him_ of all people.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Peachy," Clyde assured robotically, hoping that Lincoln would drop the subject.

To his gratification, Lincoln seemed to leave it at that when he simply shrugged and shuffled back to his original spot. With that sidetracking out of the way, Clyde turned back to the Professor.

"So, uh, anyways, Professor Spruce, I came up here to ask you for a favor," Lincoln said, praying that she would go through with what he wanted.

"And what would that be?"

"Well…"

He jabbed a thumb towards Clyde.

"It's about Clyde, you see."

"Me?" Clyde wondered. "What about me, Lincoln?"

"Just listen, Clyde. Trust me, you'll like this."

The white-haired boy, now with the floor unquestionably his, began his case.

"Professor Spruce, I understand that when you told me that I was only supposed to pick one Pokémon for me to take care of, you did it not just because you wanted me to have a challenge but because you needed the other two around for future interns a.k.a. 'another special individual'."

"I recall such discourse, yes," Professor Spruce affirmed.

"My point to all of that is," Lincoln continued, "I don't think you'll find anyone more worthy of handling the responsibility of handling one of those Pokémon than Clyde McBride."

"What?!" Clyde exclaimed. "Y-you mean…y-you mean-"

"That's right," Lincoln said with a grin. "I think you deserve to have one of the Pokémon that the Professor still has in her lab."

Clyde now understood what this was all about. Lincoln was trying pull some strings to get him a new Pokémon, a new Ranger recruit, so to speak, to aid him. Even though Clyde didn't feel guilty about that idea anymore, he still couldn't jump about excitedly for one big reason.

"But you just said that those Pokémon were for her interns. I'm not one of them," Clyde said sadly.

From Clyde's perspective, that fact didn't seem to knock Lincoln off his stride at all.

"Yeah, I know but I want you," Lincoln faced Professor Spruce again, "and you, Professor, to hear me well."

Taking a minute to steady his nerves, Lincoln spoke, finding words that he truly believed with every fiber of his being.

"Clyde's been amazing these past few weeks. I've known him since I was five and I've never made a better friend since. But ever since we left our hometown in Vaniville Town, Clyde's shown me a side of him I've never seen before.

Professor, Clyde wants to be a Pokémon Ranger when he grows up and instead of learning the tools of the trade from some courses in a cozy classroom or whatever, he's out here, roughing it up, trying to be in synch with the world around him and looking out for me while he gains the experience he feels he needs."

You had all the faith in the world in someone like me, someone who wants to win a tournament and a championship title. How much more should you have it for someone who just wants to help people and Pokémon alike, any chance he gets?"

By the end of his speech, Clyde was truly at a loss for words. He always knew that Lincoln appreciated him as friend but…but this deeply and profoundly? And not just that, he felt that he was a big help to him. Despite the showdown at the lake that had left him and Herdier in disgrace, Lincoln still hadn't considered Clyde anything less than not just a friend but a true ally.

"Lincoln…" was all Clyde could say in a hushed voice, truly moved by Lincoln's high appraisal of him.

"Clyde McBride is more than just my friend, Professor," Lincoln stated with conviction, "and he's more than someone who's helped me survive out here as long as I have. He's someone who wants to give Kalos a helping hand and in return, I'd like you to give _him_ a helping hand in the form of either Chespin or Froakie. Please, Professor. Clyde deserves this."

Once he had said everything that he felt needed to be said, Lincoln looked to Clyde and was glad that he looked as enthralled as he was. None of what he had to say was fake. It was all from the heart and Clyde deserved to know how much he meant to him and how much his dedication meant for Kalos as a whole.

Before the boys knew it, they heard the faint sound of sniffling.

"That…"

They looked down at the hologram and found Professor Spruce bawling her eyes out, along with snot dripping out her nose.

"That was the most touching narrative of selflessness and friendship I've ever heard! Forget _"The Ugly Ducklett",_ _that_ was a bedtime story for the ages! Never have I had the privilege of baring witness to such an eloquent soliloquy of camaraderie!"

Hope began bubbling inside of Lincoln. He hadn't expected such a reaction and if she felt that moved by his words…

"So…will you do it?" Lincoln asked eagerly.

In a comically quick span of time, Professor Spruce regained her professional, stoic composure, almost as if the last couple of seconds of her weeping never happened.

"Well, seeing as Clyde McBride _is_ partially responsible for your supposed success thus far…"

Both boys leaned in closer in anticipation as they awaited the final verdict.

"I suppose that permitting him the responsibility of your request is more than fair."

The second her approval was granted, the boys cheered loudly with voices that were usually reserved for achieving a high score in a video game.

"Really?!" the friends asked simultaneously, huge grins on their faces.

"Of course," the Professor replied with a tiny grin, "I'll just electronically transfer your choice to Santalune City's Pokémon Transfer System in their local Pokémon Center. Just notify me when you're there so that the transport can be successfully initiated. In the meantime, Lincoln, would you mind presenting Mr. McBride with his options via your Pokédex?"

"Gotta ya," Lincoln said as he quickly got into his backpack and pulled out his Pokédex. He crawled over to a still giddy Clyde as he turned on the Pokédex and held it up to him with Chespin's entry on display.

"Okay, Clyde, here's Chespin, the Grass-type Pokémon."

After giving Clyde a few seconds to see Chespin, he scrolled down the list until he got to Froakie and showed the screen to Clyde again.

"And this is Froakie, the Water-type Pokémon."

He then placed the Pokédex before Clyde, giving him permission to check out Chespin and Froakie at his own leisure.

"I'll let you take a moment to decide so you can-"

"I want Froakie."

Lincoln looked up and found Clyde's face to be completely, utterly serious. He was surprised that he had decided so quickly. It had taken him a little while to choose Fennekin and yet Clyde had his pick in such a short amount of time, practically within ten seconds.

"That quick, huh? You sure?"

Clyde nodded. "Positive."

Lincoln shrugged. If Clyde wanted Froakie, he'd get Froakie. He found no reason to disagree, seeing as he thought all three of the Pokémon were cool in their own way.

Facing his mentor again, Lincoln said, "Well, you heard him, Professor. The man wants Froakie."

"And Froakie, he will acquire," Professor Spruce agreed. "Now then, if there's nothing else needed, I-"

"Wait!" Lincoln shouted, hoping that the Professor would heed his call and do as he just exclaimed.

Taking in the slightly perturbed expression on Professor Spruce, Lincoln chuckled before he continued.

"Sorry about the outburst but, Professor, I just wanna let you know that I haven't forgot about the funding. I'll poke my nose around and see what I can find. I promise."

Though Fennekin had taken up so much of his time, he wanted the Professor to make sure that he hadn't forgotten about her, not after everything that she had done for him.

"I knew you wouldn't forget," Professor Spruce said, a full-spread smile on her face. "I'd never handpick an inattentive, careless slacker as my intern. Well then, goodn-"

"Professor?!"

The professor grumbled under her breath and turned around.

"Yes, Leni?!"

"I just finished fluffing your mattress!"

Professor Spruce facepalmed while Clyde and Lincoln sniggered quietly to each other. It was especially more difficult for Clyde; this was his first "encounter" with Leni and she was exactly like Lincoln described; "well-meaning but kinda air-headed".

"Leni, the pillow is what's supposed to be fluffed! The _pillow_!" Professor Spruce exclaimed incredulously.

"Oh! Sorry! You still want me to read you _"The Ugly Ducklett"_?!"

"That will no longer be necessary, Leni! Thank you!"

"Okaaaaaaay! Good morning, Professor!"

"That's 'goodnight', Leni!"

"Oh, right! Goodnight, Professor!"

Professor Spruce let out a chuckle. Leni never ceased to amaze her and from the looks of amusement that the boys tried to hide once they noticed her attention being brought back to them, they thought the same thing.

"And goodnight to you, gentlemen."

"Goodnight, Professor," Lincoln and Clyde said at once as the call ended and the hologram of Professor Spruce dissipated.

With that out of the way, Lincoln scooped up his Pokédex and Holo Caster and made a move to put it back in his backpack but stopped when he saw Clyde getting up to leave his tent. Lincoln didn't want him to leave just yet, not when he had a question for him.

"Hey, Clyde?"

Clyde stopped in his tracks.

"Yeah, Lincoln?"

Lincoln took a deep breath, knowing that Clyde, despite stating that he was being off-putting earlier to hide his true feelings from him, would probably not appreciate Lincoln meddling.

But still, he just _had_ to know.

"I'm sorry about prying again but why did you choose Froakie so quickly?"

His heart sank once Clyde immediately stared at the ground in a downcast stare. Before he could tell Clyde that he took it back and that he didn't have to share if he didn't want to, Clyde looked up at Lincoln with forced smile on his face.

"Let's just say…I refuse to be a copycat."

Once that was said, Clyde made his exit, leaving Lincoln behind to think about those words and what they meant for the rest of the night.

* * *

 _And so, yet another week flies by and within that week, Lincoln trains Fennekin to get into tiptop battle-ready shape. Also in that week, on the afternoon of June the 30th, the 2036 Lumiose Conference concludes, meaning that Gyms are now back in business in preparation for eager Trainers who wish to guarantee their spot in next year's Conference by acquiring all eight Gym Badges._

 _With that in mind, Lincoln and Clyde awaken on July the 1st, eager to head off to Santalune City so that Clyde can receive Froakie and so that Lincoln can hopefully earn his first Gym Badge…_

* * *

 _Santalune Forest. July 1st, 2036. 9:30 AM._

It had rained hard all night and throughout the early morning yesterday. Lincoln didn't mind though. The fear of losing wasn't going to damper his fire today and neither would the weather. After stuffing all of their possessions into Lincoln's nifty briefcase and slinging their respective backpacks on, the boys were ready to make their way through Santalune Forest, onto Route 3, and finally to Santalune City.

"You ready to do this, Lincoln?" Clyde asked Lincoln as they gave their former campsite one last long look before turning around and walking towards the thick, forested area that had surrounded them.

Before answering, Lincoln took out his map from his backpack and turned it on, content with the path they were now going on from what the device was displaying.

"Yeah but more than anything else, Fennekin's ready," Lincoln assured.

After brining up Fennekin, Lincoln reminisced on the training that she went through, all in the hopes of getting stronger. Through it all, Lincoln was so caught up in her training that he never bothered to look for more Pokémon to add to his team. Besides mulling over that idea with that wild Clawizter, the prospect of adding a new member to his party never crossed his mind.

' _I may have decided to not look for any other Pokémon to train but I poured all my training into Fennekin. I can do this with just her. But even if I can't, it's just like I told Clyde, I'll eventually have to assemble a team together anyways. But I don't want to think about that right now. Fennekin's all I'll need. I know it.'_

With his belief in Fennekin stronger than ever and his mind racing with the thoughts of victory, Lincoln had only one thing left to do and that was bellow out his intentions for anyone to hear:

" _ **Alright, Santalune City, look out because Lincoln Loud is coming to kick the doors down off your Gym!"**_

* * *

 _At last, Lincoln is now ready to face off against the Santalune City Gym Leader. Who is this surely powerful Trainer that Lincoln has to topple and more importantly, is his assurance in Fennekin's abilities warranted?_

 _And what of Clyde? What will he gain out of his ownership of Froakie?_

 _To figure out these questions and much more, you must continue to read on as_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _continues!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, well, well…looks like we're finally making some progress. I was originally going to make one more "Santalune Forest" chapter but, eh, I think it's better that we're moving on now. I just pray that the pace isn't too fast for any of you.

Hope that you're looking forward to the next chapter. I'm gonna have so much fun writing that one out.


	7. Clothes Make the Woman

**A/N:** Like I said in my last **A/N** , I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. If you know me well enough, you'll find out exactly why.

With not much else left to say, let's move onto _"Chapter 7: Clothes Make the Woman"_.

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _Clyde found himself at a low point, feeling insecure about his Herdier ever since Fennekin rescued him from the Clawitzer. After Lincoln tried to reach out to his friend in concern, Clyde, not wanting Lincoln to discover the truth and think less of him, pushed him away in favor of more moping._

 _Eventually, the tension between the best friends escalated and a battle between Fennekin and Herdier nearly came to pass until it was revealed that the two boys were merely stalling to ensure that it would never have to come to that. Then, they made amends once Clyde revealed the origin of his melancholy and Lincoln offered words of comfort that assured Clyde that he wasn't a bad person for wanting another Pokémon._

 _Speaking of which, later that evening, Lincoln convinced Professor Spruce to bequeath one of her remaining Pokémon to Clyde and at once, he chose Froakie._

 _It's been a week since that day and with the Pokémon Gyms now open for business, Lincoln and Clyde have packed up and are now en route to Santalune City, home of Lincoln's first real test as a Pokémon Trainer, the Santalune City Gym, and Lincoln plans on conquering it with Fennekin alone…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7:** Clothes Make the Woman

* * *

 _Route 3. July 1st, 2036. 11:47 AM._

Unlike his first exposure to Route 2's surroundings, Lincoln didn't have the curiosity to dwell on what Route 3 had to offer. From what he had seen from Route 2, Route 3 was much of the same as before so it wasn't as if there was anything new to take in. However, because of the rain that had fallen last night, the route had several puddles of water still lingering from the aftermath of the downpour, meaning that Lincoln had something new to experience in the form of his shoes occasionally splashing in the water as he and Clyde trundled along.

Besides, with his upcoming Gym Battle on his mind, even if Route 3 had something spectacular to behold, Lincoln would've been too engrossed on his inner thoughts to heed to it anyways.

By this point, Lincoln and Clyde had been talking all about Fennekin's training and what Lincoln thought the Santalune City Gym Leader would bring to the table. Admittedly, since Lincoln had no idea who the Gym Leader was, nor had any idea about what kind of Pokémon the Gym Leader used, he didn't have any idea what he was going to do once he did battle but in his mind, that Clawitzer was a sporadic challenge that Fennekin (albeit with some assistance) was able to defeat. Therefore, so as long as he stayed level-headed and not psyche himself out, he was sure to obtain victory and his first Gym Badge.

Eventually though, the Gym Battle conversation petered out and gave way to another one that centered around a topic that Lincoln had been thinking about for a while but thought to be inconsequential compared to what he had been training towards for the past couple of weeks.

"Hey, Clyde?" Lincoln asked without turning to Clyde.

"Yeah?" Clyde replied, also without looking at anything but the winding route ahead of him.

"I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

Lincoln allowed a brief pause to enter the discourse before he spoke up.

"Do you think I need a battle cry?"

The question, which made no sense to Clyde, prompted him to face Lincoln with a quizzical expression.

"A…battle cry?" Clyde wondered.

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Something I can say when I call out my Pokémon, y'know? All the best Trainers have one."

After hearing the clarification, Clyde beamed. _That's_ what he meant! Now Clyde understood where Lincoln was coming from. Whenever he and Lincoln watched championship battles, they noticed that the most prolific and charismatic trainers would have some kind of catchphrase or, as Lincoln put it, a "battle cry", that they would shout with gusto before tossing out their Pokéballs and unleashing their Pokémon for battle.

Of course, since Lincoln was sure to be the Kalos League Champion by next year, it was absolutely mandatory that he had one and what kind of best friend would he be if he left his buddy hanging?

A bad one, that's what!

"Oh, heck yeah!" Clyde agreed. "Face it, Lincoln, when you become Champion, you ought to have something that generations of Trainers can associate with you; an iconic phrase that can inspire the hopeless and cast light over the darkest of shadows! It's gotta be big, it's gotta be epic, it's gotta be-"

Before Clyde's enthusiasm could unwind any further, sharp ringing echoed into the air, the noise emanating from Lincoln's pocket. Lincoln shot Clyde an apologetic look before he reached into the noisy pocket and pulled out the culprit of the disruption, his Holo Caster.

The name of the caller, that was flashing on the screen, got Lincoln's heart to soar. It was Leni! There wasn't a chance he was going to miss out on the chance to talk to Leni, even if he didn't know why she would, especially since it had been a while since they had talked to one another!

Although Lincoln dreaded the idea of making a fool out of himself, babbling like a moron, in front of both Clyde and especially Leni, he couldn't entertain the idea of him switching his Holo Caster to its cellular mode so he could talk to her plainly instead of looking at her holographic projection; he just had to see that sunny smile of hers! Besides, what better motivation was there for him to win the Santalune City Gym battle than seeing her dazzling smile?!

Without delay, Lincoln turned on his Holo Caster and allowed for Leni's hologram to pop up. Immediately, he felt his insides turn to melted butter when he noticed Leni's grin, as beautiful as he always remembered.

"Heeeeeeeeeey, Lincoln!" Leni said, giving him a little wave.

Lincoln gave one back, though his was a bit lethargic and sluggish compared to hers as he was in too much of a daze to respond properly. Leni's giggle made it quite apparent to Lincoln, who cringed a little from shame, that the awkwardness had been apparent to her.

"Oh, uh, Leni. How's it goin'?" Lincoln mumbled, thankful that he was able not to trip over his words.

"Totes adequate," Leni replied. "In case you're, like, wondering why I called, I just wanted to let you know that the Professor wanted me to tell you that she'll see be sending in Froakie to the Santalune City's Pokémon Transfer System by…by…ummm…by…"

Leni's face contorted in contemplation as she pulled up one of her hands over her face and squinted at the palm of it, almost as if she was reading something. After a few seconds, her happy disposition returned and she focused back on Lincoln, whom had the gist of what had just happened; Leni, being Leni, had forgotten the time that she was supposed to relay to Lincoln and had written it on her hand just in case it slipped her mind.

"Three o'clock! So, like, make sure that you or Clive are there to get it, okay?"

"Actually, it's Clyde," Clyde corrected with a bit of derision in his voice, not at all impressed with Leni's incompetence.

"Anyways," Leni said, having completely ignored Clyde, "make sure you be there on time, okay, Lincy?"

Lincoln, who had been able to keep it somewhat together, nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard that name escape Leni's lips.

"L-L-L-Lincy?" Lincoln stuttered, absolutely bewildered that Leni had referred to him with a nickname a.k.a. a term of endearment that was only reserved for the closest of friends…or _lovers_.

But that couldn't be. Or could it?

"Yeah! It's my new nickname for you! Isn't it cute?!"

Lincoln simply nodded, too busy focusing on the hopeful implications that her nickname presented.

"Glad you like it. Now, I gotta go and get the Professor a new nightlight. She can't sleep without one. Buh-bye and good luck with your Gym battle!"

Lincoln waited for Leni's hologram to shut off...and waited…and waited…and wait-

"Oops," Leni said sheepishly. "Wrong button."

Clyde, who wasn't spellbound by Leni's beauty, facepalmed. Lincoln just waited as Leni's face, which was cutely fashioned in an indignant scowl in Lincoln's opinion, looked around within her sights, obviously trying to find the right button to end the transmission.

"No, that's not it, either," Leni mused. "Hmmm, maybe this is the right o-"

At that, the call finally ended and Lincoln's heart sank a little from disappointment. Had she been out of the loop for just a few more seconds, maybe he could've initiated another conversation with her, one that didn't have to be about work or battling.

Deciding not to dwell on missed opportunities any longer, Lincoln just stuffed his Holo Caster back in place and upon looking up, caught Clyde giving him a snide, disapproving glare.

"Seriously?" Clyde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Lincoln responded, not finding any reason for Clyde to be in such a bad mood.

Clyde just folded his arms and sighed, as if Lincoln had committed an obvious faux pas and was too stupid to realize what it was.

"Come on, Clyde, quite looking at me like that," Lincoln said, getting slightly irritated now.

"Don't tell me you've gone head over heels for Professor Spruce's assistant," Clyde said, disappointment dripping from his tone like water from a wet towel that had just been squeezed and wrenched dry.

"Can you blame me?" Lincoln said defensively. "Just look at her, Clyde! She looks like she just walked off a photo shoot for a fashion magazine!"

Clyde shrugged. "I mean, yeah, Lincoln, she's pretty and all but, uh, she's also _way_ above your league."

Not caring for the suggestion that he somehow didn't measure up, Lincoln shot Clyde a dirty look, which was enough to get Clyde to shrink away.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No, I-I didn't mean it like _that_ , Lincoln," Clyde replied nervously, waving his hands in front of him.

Lincoln waited for Clyde to gather the wherewithal to explain himself.

"It's just…I mean, look, you're a good guy and all but let's face it, man, she's not only older than you by at least five years but on top of that, compared to her looks, you're kinda on the average side. Girls that good-looking don't usually date guys who aren't at least as appealing as them and even if Leni wasn't the type of girl, again, she's gotta be at least seventeen while you're only eleven. You're probably more like a little brother than boyfriend material to her."

As usual, Clyde's insight made Lincoln reflect on his own thoughts and upon doing so, realized that his daydreams of him and Leni being more than friends…were absolutely ridiculous. Sure, Lincoln knew that it'd be a long shot, him and Leni being boyfriend and girlfriend, but he just couldn't help himself. Despite Leni's lack of common sense, Lincoln found Leni appealing. Not just her looks but her attitude and selflessness, too.

But now that Clyde had brought things to perspective, it made all the sense in the world. He knew that Leni found him cute (she had told him herself when they first met) but like Clyde had just said, it was probably like how an older sister would find her little brother cute.

"Yeah," Lincoln sighed defeatedly, slumping forward. "I guess you're right. What was I thinking?"

Clyde patted Lincoln on the shoulder in comfort.

"Sorry, buddy."

Lincoln's head shook and he cast Clyde a small smile to let him know that he wasn't totally bummed out.

"Nah, it's alright. It'd never work out. But hey, that doesn't mean a guy can't dream, right?"

"Of course he can," Clyde said. "In the meantime, I'll be here to serve as the anchor that keeps you from being swept away by the merciless waves of love. Trust me, you won't find me going gaga over older women; you can trust me to stay levelheaded for the both of us."

Lincoln chuckled and held out his fist for Clyde to bump with one of his own, which he did once he caught on.

"Thanks, Clyde," Lincoln said. "What would I do without you?"

Wanting to change the subject and get his friend's spirits lifted, especially since he had an important battle up ahead, Clyde said, "Now then, how about we work on your battle cry before we get to Santalune City?"

"Hold that thought," Lincoln told him as he went into his other pocket and pulled out his map. Since they knew they were on the right track, Lincoln had put it away.

But now, with Santalune City going to show up anytime now, especially since they had been walking for nearly a few hours, Lincoln wanted to see how far they needed to go.

Once he switched his map on, he saw the marked location of Santalune City, which was marked with a red star with a white "1" on it, the indicator that Santalune City had the first Pokémon Gym that he needed to defeat, was closer than ever. Just a few more miles and they'd make it.

As soon as they made it, the first thing Lincoln wanted to do was find something to eat since he and Clyde didn't want to fish for food in favor of finding what they needed in the city. Then, after chowing down on some grub, they'd get Clyde's new Froakie and from there, the Santalune City Gym.

"Looks like we'll be arriving there in less than an hour or so," Lincoln informed Clyde. "That should give us plenty of time to come up with something good."

With that, Lincoln and Clyde immediately got brainstorming.

* * *

 _For nearly half an hour, Lincoln and Clyde exchanged ideas on what would be Lincoln's ideal battle cry. Needless to say, for two boys who enjoyed the theatrics of the fictional but grandiose realm of comic books, many different phrases were tossed around._

 _But, just ahead, Santalune City draws ever closer until it's nearly within their sights…_

* * *

 _Route 3. July 1st, 2036. 12:28 PM._

"Are you _absolutely_ sure, Lincoln?"

"Yes, Clyde. I'm absolutely, positively, most certainly, without a shadow of a doubt, sure."

Clyde gave up without another word and joined in his friend in the silent ambience that their walk to Santalune City was giving them.

That is, until he tried to barter.

"But if I were to, perhaps, propose the idea in another way, one that would-"

"Clyde, forget it," Lincoln groused. "I'm not going with 'Ally of justice, lend me your ears. Aid me in battle and tarnish all fears' and that's final."

"Why not?!" Clyde cried. "That's, like, the perfect battle cry!"

Lincoln rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Yeah, for a _superhero_. I'm just a kid from Vaniville Town. That's way too…I dunno, grand."

"But you're gonna be the Champ! Of course, it has to be grand!" Clyde argued, punctuating his statement with a huff.

"I mean, sure, Clyde but there's a difference between being grand and just plain showing off. Besides, I like my comic books as much as the next guy but even I think that's too over-the-top."

With another elongated, weary sigh, Clyde conceded.

"Fine," Clyde grumbled. "So, out of all the ones we've come up with, which one would you want go with? I know you also weren't a fan of 'Advance towards battle!' or 'Time to make a statement!' or 'It's Lincoln time!' but I think that if we-"

"Wooooooooow," Lincoln said suddenly, cutting Clyde off.

"Oh, so you like the last one?" Clyde asked. "Okay, then how about I put a little spin on it by-"

"No, Clyde," Lincoln said, stopping in his tracks and pointing ahead of him. "Look."

Clyde followed his finger and saw that they were now about twenty feet away from the entry of Santalune City. Even without being in the city itself, Lincoln easily see the grandness that was, Santalune City. Though the buildings didn't look all that dazzling or exquisite, the fact there seemed to be so many of them, was unlike anything Lincoln had ever known. All he knew growing up was Vaniville Town and Aquacorde Town and compared to Santalune City, they looked meager in comparison.

It looked like he could be lost in there forever if he wasn't careful and without how promising the sights of this city would probably be for him, he wouldn't mind that one bit. From his vantage point, he could see a large, sky blue billboard within the city that read "Santalune City – A Traditional City".

Lincoln's eye got even wider. If Santalune City was simply traditional, imagine what other more dazzling abodes he could, and would, come across?

"Oh, look, we made it at last," Clyde said, sounding unimpressed. "But I don't understand, Lincoln, what's the big deal?"

Still in a stupor, Lincoln replied, "I've never been to a city as big as this before, Clyde. It's so…so…so…"

"Big?"

"Yeah."

"Eh, don't get me wrong, Santalune City's great and all but I've been to way bigger cities than this before."

That comment got Lincoln to think about what Clyde had told him. It was true that Clyde had left Vaniville Town to go visit one of his dads, Harold, in Coumarine City for the summer from time to time. Even though Harold and Howard were together, Harold's home was basically in Coumarine City, a reason that he could never get Clyde to open up to him about for some reason.

Between that traveling, Clyde was sure to have been to other cities and towns besides Vaniville and Aquacorde.

"Oh, I bet that's true," Lincoln said. "For instance, I hear Coumarine's pretty big, too. Guess you should know since one of your dads goes there all th-"

"Oh, would you look at the time?!" Clyde interjected in panic. "C'mon, Lincoln, we shouldn't make haste!"

With that, Clyde raced ahead of Lincoln, not seeming to care one bit about the suspicious way he just flaked on him like that.

"Clyde, hold up!" Lincoln shouted, running after him.

Lincoln was worried. Had he said something that upset Clyde? Hurt his feelings in any way? He didn't think that he was being insensitive.

Though he was slightly gaining on Clyde, by now, both boys had run into Santalune City with Clyde not caring one bit about the people that he had bumped roughly into in his mad dash.

"Clyde!" Lincoln shouted again, weaving more carefully around the people that were trying to go on with their day and not get unceremoniously rammed into.

Though Lincoln was careful not to run into anyone, he failed to notice the sizeable puddle of rainwater he was hastily heading towards that he would've easily ran around had he been paying more attention to his surroundings.

"Clyde," Lincoln yelled again, "slow down would you?! What's your de-"

 _*SPLISH!*_

Lincoln froze when his foot furiously slammed into the puddle and sprayed water towards his left. A sudden, icy shriek rang out from the same direction that the projectile stream of water shot out towards and Lincoln felt his feet turn to lead and his spine and chest growing cold at the realization at what had just happened.

"Oh no," he whispered and slowly turned his head to his left.

There, just a few feet or so away, was a person, clearly a woman with large sunny blonde hair that was kept short, who stood hunched over and rigid as the water, from Lincoln's ungraceful blunder, soaked in her loose, blue blouse. Though Lincoln couldn't see her expression from where he stood, if he could guess, she was understandably bewildered and angry at the unexpectant inconvenience.

Luckily for him, only a few people hung around as they stood back and watched his situation unfold while everyone gave them passing glances as they went along their way, meaning that Lincoln hadn't made such a fool of himself and the woman in front of a large crowd.

Despite the shame and timidity that crawled about in Lincoln's gut, he knew he had to make amends for what he just did and with some deliberation, he stepped out of the puddle and slowly approached the woman, who was muttering to herself while still being hunched over.

"Uh, excuse me, ma'am?" Lincoln said quietly.

The woman didn't look up, either because she didn't hear him or just didn't care to make conversation with someone right now.

Lincoln cleared his throat and spoke up again, this time in a louder voice.

"I'm, uh, really sorry I splashed water all over you like that. See, I-I wasn't paying attention and I-"

"Lincoln!"

Lincoln turned around and saw Clyde heading towards him with breakneck speed. Lincoln resisted the urge to glare in contempt since a part of his mind reasoned that had it not been for Clyde, he wouldn't be in this mess right now. No, it was _his_ fault and if had just been paying attention, he wouldn't have acted like such a klutz and gotten this poor woman all wet.

By now, Clyde was at Lincoln's side, huffing as he tried to catch his breath. Once he did, he spoke to Lincoln again, as frantic as he was before.

"Lincoln, what's going on?! I heard screaming and I…"

He trailed off when his eyes caught something that made his entire face, which was crunched in panic, melt into an unfocused stare that was complemented by a droopy grin, dazzled eyes, and a drip of drool spilling out the corner of his mouth.

Lincoln was taken aback by the sudden shift and shook Clyde a bit to get him to snap out of it but to no avail.

"Clyde?" Lincoln asked, waving his hand in front of Clyde's face but finding no success.

Frustrated, Lincoln tried a different approach.

"Helloooooooooooo?" Lincoln tried again, snapping his fingers around his ears but still not getting a reply.

Lincoln was at a loss. What had gotten into Clyde all of a sudden?

"Clyde? Buddy, you're really starting to scare me right now."

"Ahem."

A chill raced through Lincoln's heart at the cold, churlish tone behind the word that pierced his ears and beckoned Lincoln to turn around to face the person who had addressed him, all while gripping his briefcase handle tightly for purchase.

Like he both expected and dreaded, it was the woman whom he had gotten wet. It was clear what sort of mood she was in right now and by the looks of things, she wouldn't be satisfied until she grabbed a hold of Lincoln and turned him into a human pretzel.

Besides fear, Lincoln couldn't help but feel a little captivated by the woman's appearance. Although he didn't find her nearly as pretty as Leni (her giant frown also made it easy for him to think so), she was still quite attractive.

Though her blouse was unfortunately ruined, it complimented her long white skirt, pearl earrings, and white slip-ons wonderfully. His scanned briefly looked towards her left fist, which was clutching at the handle of her black purse enough for veins to pop out of her skin.

Her harsh throat clearing snapped Lincoln out of it and he immediately focused on the woman's face again, which still looked as peeved as ever, especially now that her eyes, which were squinting at him angrily (and revealing her light blue eyeshadow) nearly made him shrink away.

"Yes? Can I…c-can I help you?" Lincoln stammered, hoping that his clumsy yet polite reply would pacify her ire.

It didn't.

"You're kidding me, right?" the woman said with a mixture of disbelief and fury. "'Yes? Can I help you?' THAT'S what you say to someone that you get drenched in rainwater after you go spazzing about in the middle of a city like some sugar-crazed idiot?!"

Lincoln winced, wanting to sprout wings and just fly away.

"W-well, no, I jus-"

"Just what, huh?! Just what?! Just thought that this was some kind of jungle gym for you to do with as you please?!"

By now, Lincoln's self-worth was crumbling to pieces and he was less afraid now and more ashamed with himself than ever. He could feel her temper flaring when he shyly looked away.

"No, I…I-I mean…"

"If there's one thing in this world that I can't stand more than twerps, it's twerps with a lack of common sense! You don't think people like me have things to do and people to see, all while not looking like a complete moron?!"

Before Lincoln could reply, the woman cut him off, marching towards him with loud stomping until she was looming over him, her casting shadow making Lincoln even more nervous.

"I did NOT come all the way from Snowbelle City to here just so I can get sprayed with water from a careless, buck-toothed nitwit like you," a hard jab from her finger landed square in the middle of Lincoln's chest, "on my first day here in literally forever! Do you have any idea how much this outfit cost me?! Do you have any clue how long I spent looking for it at the mall here?!"

"N-no," Lincoln mumbled as he did his best to blink away tears.

"Of course, you don't! That's because all you brats do is think of yourself; you and that _other_ halfwit that won't stop staring at me like some catatonic freak!"

At the mention of the "catatonic freak", Lincoln turned to the boy in question, Clyde, would kept staring in his daze, as if he had just been ignoring what was going on right now. It was obvious to Lincoln why; for some reason, he found this belligerent, albeit attractive, woman bewitching.

Before he could say anything about that, the woman's cleared her threat, prompting Lincoln to give his undivided attention to her once more and her vexed look.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm…" Lincoln began without thinking.

What could he say to her? He had gotten her clothes all wet with dirty rainwater and he couldn't just go back and time and undo what he just did.

"I'm r-really sorry I ruined your clothes and…"

Lincoln looked on in panic when the woman remained unconvinced. Amidst his dread, he also felt hungry from not eating all day. Once the thought of food came to mind, a lit lightbulb popped up in Lincoln's brain and a smile spread on his face.

How would he pay for the food? Why, with money, of course! And what did he just so happen to have on him right now? Money! And what could pay for new clothes, clothes that could be shown as a sign of apology while making up for his mistake? Money!

"I-I'll pay for a new blouse for you! I have the money! I swear, I'll do it!" Lincoln said excitedly as he pulled out his wallet from his pocket. Setting his briefcase down, he opened it up with both hands, revealing the money that he still had left, which was under three thousand Pokédollars.

"See? That should be enough, right?" Lincoln asked hopefully.

It would make quite the dent in what he had but it wasn't as if clothes cost that much money. Besides, he was in the wrong, anyways, and if he was in a position to right his wrong, could he really complain about the cost?

Lincoln looked up at the woman, who looked down at the money, and she rolled her eyes.

"What kind of person do you take me for?" she spat contemptuously. "You think I'm some kind of beggar that needs money from anyone, especially from some kid with money that obviously came from his parents for his allowance? You should be focused on getting candy and comic books and video games and whatever else twerps buy so they can rot their brains out further. Besides, the money's only a fraction of the reason why I'm ticked off. I'm mostly upset because thanks to you, those three hours that I spent looking for the right outfit are wasted."

With a heavy heart, Lincoln put the wallet away, now realizing why this woman was so angry. No wonder she had snapped at him like that. He hadn't just ruined her blouse, he had ruined her day by making those three hours of searching for it mean nothing.

Before Lincoln could apologize again, knowing full well she probably wouldn't care to hear it, she spoke again, this time, much softer than Lincoln expected.

"So, you know what you're gonna do to make it up to me instead?" she asked.

Lincoln instantly found his spirits lifted as he sensed a window of opportunity open for him.

"I'll do anything!" Lincoln said, happy that she was presenting him with an opportunity to make things right.

He was so excited that he missed out on the tiny smirk the woman flashed.

' _Hmph. We'll see about that. This oughta teach this kid some manners,'_ she thought.

"You and I are gonna go back to the mall I just walked out from and you're gonna help me get a new blouse. Got it?"

At once, Lincoln felt his entire world spiraling towards the worst hell imaginable. He hated shopping malls! Whenever he had the displeasure of going with his mother, it took her forever to find what she wanted but this was definitely going to be worse. At least with his mother, she would have pity on him and allow him to go to a video game or comic book store once they were finished or heck, sometimes, she did it in between her shopping trips.

From the sounds of this woman's demands, though, he would be dragged around without any consideration for him at all. He could feel the blisters on his feet already from the ordeal.

Regardless, Lincoln nodded in compliance. It was his mess to clean up and it required him to not pay a thing. If this was what she wanted him to do, she'd get it.

"Yes, ma'am," Lincoln said, deflated.

Suddenly, he found himself lifted off the ground slightly as the woman grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and brought him in closer to her.

"And quit calling me, ma'am!" she demanded sharply. "I'm not some old hag!

"What's your name, then?" Lincoln asked nervously.

He was brought back on the ground, letting him have the chance to grab his briefcase again while he waited for a reply.

"Lori," she said, "and by the way, tell your creepy friend that he's not coming with us. I don't want him anywhere near me while I'm swapping in and out of clothes."

"What?! Nooooooooooooo!" Clyde bellowed.

Lincoln and Lori looked on as Clyde leapt to the ground, clutching at Lincoln's ankles tightly and looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please, Lincoln, let me come with you! Now that my eyes have laid upon an angel, I can't live in this world without her radiance forever in my sights!"

' _So much for not falling for older women,'_ Lincoln thought amusedly.

"Sorry, Clyde, you heard her. You're not allowed to come," Lincoln shrugged.

"But, Lincoln, I-"

"Clyde, come on. Quit making a scene and get it together. Besides, it's getting close to three o'clock and you need to be at the Pokémon Center so that you can get your Froakie. Remember?"

Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick as Clyde got to feet, his face telling him that while he wasn't happy with the hand he was dealt, he'd learn to live with it.

"Well, I guess you're right about that."

"And after you do that," Lincoln said, "I need you to look for the Gym and tell me where it is. Can you do that for me?"

"My heart aches for the company of Lori," Clyde professed grandly, "but you mustn't be denied your challenge. I shall do as you request and hopefully, this fair maiden can see how noble I-"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Lori interjected, walking towards Lincoln and grabbing him roughly by the hand. "Come along…Lincoln, was it? We have a long day ahead of us."

Letting himself be led away, Lincoln looked back and winced a little from the envious look Clyde shot him before he went on his way to the Pokémon Center. While he dreaded about the rough time he was about to go through, he was unaware of Lori's inner thoughts:

' _So, he's planning on taking him on, huh? Hate to break it to you, kiddo, but you don't stand a chance.'_

* * *

 _Santalune Shopping Center. July 1st, 2036. 3:13 PM._

Sweet, sweet relief.

That was what Lincoln was feeling as he sat in the middle of the Santalune Shopping Center's food court, waiting patiently for Lori to return with the food that he had requested, some sushi with steamed rice and a bottle of water, after their shopping search had finally ended.

It took longer than he thought…

' _And wanted,'_ Lincoln mentally grumbled as spark of pain shot through his aching feet and sore lower back.

But it was all worth it in the end if it meant that he'd get a meal out of his stewardship. Though it was a bit awkward being led around several shopping stores by a woman he barely knew, that paled in comparison to how his body protested being led around nearly the entire mall in the pursuit for just "right blouse".

And Lori's attitude certainly didn't make it easier for him. Every time he presented a blouse that he was sure she would like, she would snap at him for being blind and dumb enough to even suggest it and ordered him to put it back. Eventually, she found one herself, which was a tighter blouse than the one she had before, though it was the same color. After purchasing it, she went to get changed into it and told Lincoln to follow her as they left the second floor to head downstairs.

Once they reached their destination, she told Lincoln to stay put while she got him any food that he wanted and after hearing his request, left him to do just that.

Lincoln had to admit, though he wasn't necessarily ready to call Lori a friend, especially since it wasn't even likely that they'd see each other again, she wasn't all that bad. Sure, she could come off as crass, rude, snappy, condescending, mean, unpleasant…

Okay, the point was, even though Lori could be all those things, she hadn't required him to pay for the new clothes and she was willing to pay for his lunch. Surely, that had to count for something.

Soon enough, the faint smell of sushi hit his nose and Lincoln's mouth watered once he looked up and saw Lori approaching him, her face as neutral and apathetic as he had seen it when she wasn't chewing him out, while holding his food in a white, plastic takeout box and bottled water.

She plopped them down in front of him before silently placing chopsticks on top of the box and then, in a move that Lincoln hadn't expected at all, she sat across from him on the other end of the table.

Lincoln had fully expected for Lori to be on her own way after this but from the looks of things, she wanted to be in his company.

"Thanks again for getting me lunch, Lori," Lincoln said gratefully as he grabbed his chopsticks and opened his takeout box, sighing dreamily once the pleasant scent of his meal intensified.

"Whatever," Lori said while rolling her eyes. "I just don't want it being said that I made a kid go hungry. Your stomach growling could wake the dead. Besides, I guess you deserve something for not complaining the whole time."

Lincoln smiled. It was true that he hadn't complained and it was something that he had done on purpose. It wasn't his place to whine about what Lori had demanded of him and now, it was paying off in the form of food.

Snapping his chopsticks apart, Lincoln eyed at his sushi platter and hurriedly rushed in to dig in to satiate his hunger but before he could, Lori's comment made him stop in his tracks.

"Ugh, where are your table manners? You're in the presence of a lady, y'know."

Lincoln blinked before realizing what he had just done; he was standing up from his chair, tongue sticking out of his mouth, and mouth wide open.

Oops.

He shot Lori a shy, apologetic look.

"Sorry," Lincoln squeaked and sat down in his seat.

The minutes flew by as Lincoln ate his food, this time, doing his best to retain some manners around Lori, lest he suffer from her wrath. While he did, he had to wonder why Lori wasn't saying anything to him. Did she think that she was obligated to watch over him while he ate? That seemed plausible at first but then he remembered that she didn't want Clyde coming with them and it was clear that they didn't have any adults watching over them.

Perhaps she was just waiting for him to finish his food before she said what she wanted to say to him. If that was the case, then Lincoln could finish his food later. He was curious about what Lori could want with him. And besides that, there was something else that he wanted to know about Lori, too.

"Hay, Rowree?" Lincoln asked, not realizing that his mouth was still full of food.

Lori growled and banged her fist against the table, nearly causing Lincoln to swallow everything at once.

"What did I _just_ say about table manners?!" Lori spat, her face etched in disgust and fury.

Understanding his mistake, Lincoln took a few seconds to chew more until he swallowed his food.

"Sorry…again," Lincoln said timorously.

With his mouth free of food, Lincoln tried to get on the right foot with his query.

"Anyways, like I was trying to say, I never bothered asking you this while we were browsing through all those clothes but why did you need to go through all the trouble of getting the blouse you got? A lot of the ones who rejected looked fine to me."

Instead of getting a sharp-tongued remark as a reply, like he expected, Lincoln was taken aback when Lori just scowled slightly before resting her chin on one of her hands while looking off to the side.

"You wouldn't understand," Lori drawled.

She turned back to Lincoln when he heard him respond with, "I can always try."

Lincoln watched as Lori perked a bit from his retort, as if she hadn't expected him to say something like that.

From there, Lori explained herself, though sadness was laced in her tone.

"I haven't seen my boyfriend in months. He lives here in Santalune City while I've been freezing my butt off in my hometown of Snowbelle City. We barely have time to see each other and when I got the opportunity to visit him today, I wanted to go all out and look my best for him. I didn't want to look second best."

Ah, so that was it. Now, it was all clear to Lincoln. No wonder she had been looking for the "right blouse" all day and afternoon. Now, Lincoln was gladder than ever that she got what she wanted, especially if she and her boyfriend barely got time to see each other.

Still, something about the whole situation bothered Lincoln.

"Well, I..."

He trailed off when he realized just what it was that he wanted to admit to Lori and it made him feel quite embarrassed.

His reluctance to continue didn't sit well with Lori, who glared at Lincoln with folded arms.

"What? If you got something to say, then say it," she demanded.

The cutting, sharp tone was enough to spur Lincoln into action, although that didn't stop the warmth and redness from flooding to his cheeks.

"It's just…you don't have to try to look good. You're…"

He took a deep breath before he finished while squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

"Really pretty."

He immediately looked down at the table, not wanting to gauge Lori's reaction. He tensed as seconds of silence passed until finally, Lori responded.

"You're just saying that," she muttered, sounding a bit embarrassed herself. "You probably think I'm a hideous monster."

Her indignant, disbelieving retort got Lincoln to look up at her, aiming to get her to reconsider her words.

"No, no! I mean it! I think you're super, _super_ pretty, Lori! Like, ridiculously, mind-bogging pretty! Like-"

"I get it," Lori said exasperatedly, cutting him off before he could finish.

Lincoln slumped in his chair, now feeling more ashamed than before…

That is, until he heard Lori giggle. Looking up, he saw her giving him a smile and it took Lincoln all his strength not to gasp in surprise; he didn't even know Lori was capable of doing that.

"Thanks," a clearly flattered Lori said.

With nothing else left to do but thank the lucky stars that he had gotten out of that alive, Lincoln returned to his meal. If Lori really did want to know something from him, she'd ask him soon enough anywa-

"So, Lincoln?"

Like that.

"Hmm?" Lincoln hummed, his mouth full of food and his cheeks slightly puffed out.

He swallowed and took a swig of water before Lori could continue.

"I heard you tell your weirdo friend that-"

"Hey."

The sharp reply got Lori to stop in her tracks and look at Lincoln as if she had done so for the first time. Lincoln, though jittery and apprehensive on the inside, didn't budge from the solemn, serious face that he wore.

"Let's get one thing straight, Lori. Clyde may be a bit silly sometimes but he's _not_ a weirdo and I won't have anyone saying otherwise. Not even you."

To Lincoln's relief, Lori smiled at him, almost like she was impressed by his willingness to stick up for his friend like this.

"Very well," Lori said. "I heard you tell _Clyde_ that you're looking for the Santalune City Gym. You aiming to challenge the Gym Leader, I'm guessing?"

Immediately, Lincoln grinned from ear-to-ear. With all the talk about blouses and boyfriends and whatnot, he had nearly forgotten about his Gym Battle, the one that he was totally going to win once he got out of the mall!

"Sure am! My Pokémon have been training like mad! We're gonna win for sure!" Lincoln assured confidently.

He was taken of his stride when he heard Lori do something else that he didn't know she could do; laugh.

It wasn't a mean-spirited one, laced with malice and contempt. It was more like one of those laughs that punctuated how that person felt nothing but pity at someone's ignorance and that they would set that someone straight.

"How adorable," Lori snickered. "You actually think you stand a chance against my Bobby Boo-Boo Bear?"

Lincoln's eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Bobby Who-Who what?"

"Oops! Silly me!" Lori chuckled weakly. "That's just my nickname for my boyfriend, Bobby."

"Oh," Lincoln said. "Well, that makes sense. Anyways, like I was-"

Suddenly, Lincoln reeled back from absolute shock at what Lori had just told him.

"Wait, _your_ boyfriend's the Santalune City Gym Leader?!" Lincoln whisper-shouted, not wanting to draw eyes on him and Lori.

Lori smirked. "You surprised?"

Dumbfounded, Lincoln just nodded. Lori's smirk only grew wider.

"Well, if _that_ surprises you, just wait until you see him in a Pokémon battle. The way he battles is second to very, _very_ few. He's been Santalune City's Gym Leader ever since he was twelve and he rarely loses. You're up for the challenge, especially since you seem to be a beginner. I wouldn't even consider challenging him if I were you."

Lincoln, though understanding that Lori was just trying to open his eyes, frowned.

"No way," he said defiantly. "I'm sorry, Lori, but I'm not gonna avoid him. I didn't come all the way from Vaniville Town just to back down from a strong opponent, even if they are a Gym Leader. I'll be taking his badge and collecting the other seven in time for the Lumiose Conference."

His words only caused Lori to bark out another laugh.

"You know, you don't have to get all the Gym Badges to try and qualify for the Lumiose Conference, right?"

"I know that," Lincoln said defensively, feeling like Lori was talking down to him.

"And yet you still want to take the harder route of getting the Gym Badges for a guaranteed entry, even though you've barely gotten your feet wet as a Trainer?"

Lincoln nodded. He knew what he was going to do with himself and he wouldn't let anyone stop him. He expected Lori to tell him more things along the lines of "You can't do it!" but instead, she just shook her head and smirked.

"I don't know if you lack brains or got plenty of guts but either way, it should make for an interesting battle when you and Bobby square off. Anyways, I know where the Gym is so make sure you tell Clyde that you don't need him to look for it anymore."

"Will do," Lincoln said before he went back to chowing down on his sushi.

* * *

 _Once Lincoln was done with his meal and informed Clyde via Holo Caster that all he needed to do was find the Gym and wait for his arrival, he and his new…eh, "friend", Lori, were on their way to the Santalune City Gym. Thanks to Lori's familiarity with the city, it didn't take the pair long before they were in front of the Santalune City Gym…_

* * *

 _Santalune City. July 1st, 2036. 3:38 PM. _

"Well, here we are," Lori declared as she and Lincoln stopped in front of a building that had taken them about ten minutes to get to.

Lincoln gave the building a once over and found it somewhat…lacking. He had never been to a Pokémon Gym before so his expectations were that it'd be a little bit more resplendent than this.

It didn't appear to be much bigger than a standard Pokémon Center and besides two Pokéball granite statues, that stood on either side of the sliding doors, Lincoln didn't think it was much home to write about. Still, a Gym was a Gym and he wasn't going to turn his nose up at the establishment that would grant him the opportunity to advance his Trainer tenure.

"So, this is Santalune City Gym, huh?" Lincoln remarked, his eyes still glancing over the building.

Suddenly, his eyes caught something that he had missed before; it was a wooden plaque above the sliding doors. It read " **SANTALUNE CITY GYM – HOME OF THE BUG TYPE"**.

A giddy smile spread across Lincoln's face, knowing full well what this meant for Fennekin's chances.

' _Wait a second…this is a Bug-type Gym! Man, am I lucky or what?! Fennekin's totally got the advantage!'_

Just when he was about to enter, both Lincoln and Lori looked behind them at the sound of Lincoln's name being called. It was Clyde and he was rushing towards them and from what they knew about him, it was obvious that he wanted to get up close and personal with Lori.

"So, uh, yeah, Lincoln, I'm gonna head on in now, 'kay? Bye!" Lori said and scrambled into the Gym just as soon as Clyde came up to Lincoln.

Instead of giving chase, Clyde just looked on and sighed dazedly.

"Isn't her running so…enchanting?" he swooned.

Deciding to just ignore that comment entirely, Lincoln just made his way into the Gym, Clyde following close behind. Once he did, he was met with a sight that made Lincoln even more giddy than before.

The Gym's interior was nothing really special; it was just a smooth, rocky floor that had two sets of three-stepped bleachers on either far side of the Gym, obviously for spectators who wanted a good look at the battles that took place. The thing that did give Lincoln joy, however, was the battlefield in the middle of the Gym. It was the standard white outline that designated where Trainers were permitted to stand and where the Pokémon were supposed to battle.

Though mundane and common, it was still something that Lincoln had yearned to experience for himself and now, he was about to do it.

Just then, a man's voice rang out for everyone to hear.

"Babe!"

The greeting was followed by a voice that Lincoln was familiar with.

"Bobby Boo-Boo Bear!"

Following the sounds, Lincoln looked to his left and found Lori hugging someone who he presumed to be "Bobby Boo-Boo Bear" and therefore, his imminent opponent.

He was tan-skinned with jet black hair that stood upright and a few beard hairs springing out from his chin. He wore a green, puffy vest, blue pants, and what Lincoln found to be the most peculiar about him, a chill, somewhat lackadaisical aura. Again, what Lincoln found went against his expectations; he thought Bobby would be a hardened, grizzled veteran with a stone-faced demeanor and a tough guy attitude.

But as he looked on at Bobby and Lori gushing over each other, he couldn't help but feel that perhaps…maybe Bobby wasn't going to be so difficult after all? Maybe Lori was just hyping up her boyfriend just because they were dating? Maybe…

Lincoln shook his head to stop his thoughts cold. He couldn't underestimate someone just because of their looks. Not only would it be foolish to assume a lack of credibility on outward appearance but more importantly than that, it'd make him a huge hypocrite. He strived to be the best and didn't like the idea of anyone assuming he was just "some kid without a clue" because of his age and looks.

No, he was going to take this seriously.

"And there's my challenge," Lincoln said as he looked on at the lovers.

"And there's my worst enemy!" Clyde growled, his fists balled and his teeth gnashed.

Lincoln chuckled at the levity Clyde unintentionally brought about and turned to him to get to the bottom of something that he had forgotten to ask when he told Clyde to wait for him here.

"By the way, Clyde, I forgot to ask but did you get Froakie?"

Clyde flashed him a grin as he pointed to his waistband to reveal that he had his own Pokéball belt, one that had six Pokéballs on it.

"Yep," Clyde said as he unhooked one of the Pokéballs and showed it to Lincoln, "he's right in here."

He put it back in its place.

"As you can see, I also went ahead and bought some Pokéballs. You never know when Team McBride needs another slot filled."

With his curiosity satiated, Lincoln went to walk over to Lori and Bobby but Clyde stopped him when he grabbed onto his shoulder. Lincoln looked back at him and flinched when Clyde's face appeared solemn mixed with ghastliness, almost as if he was a messenger of foreboding.

"But, Lincoln," Clyde began in a low voice, "I gotta warn you, as much as I hate to admit it, that Bobby guy is ridiculously strong. When I went to get Froakie at the Pokémon Center's Transfer System, I saw Nurse DiMartino taking care of-"

"Woah, woah, woah, wait a second," Lincoln interjected, "Nurse DiMartino works all the way out here in Santalune City, too?"

Clyde shook his head.

"Actually, no. You're not gonna believe this but the Nurse DiMartino in Aquacorde Town has identical-looking sisters who throughout the Kalos region as Pokémon Center Nurses. I've always known about it since, unlike you, I've been to more places than just Vaniville and Aquacorde. Anyways, I saw Nurse DiMartino taking care of a bunch of injured Pokémon in the sick bay. Apparently, they were all owned by Trainers who challenged Bobby today and got creamed."

Lincoln felt his nerves tingling in anxiety from that. Of course, it should've been expected for Bobby to be strong, given that he was the Gym Leader of the city and all, but until now, all he could think about was his conquest.

He hadn't thought about other people wanting the same thing as him.

But not only that, they had gotten creamed, apparently. Not "lose a valiant but close battle". No, no… _creamed_. That did not sit well with Lincoln at all.

Still, he couldn't let that frighten him.

"And that's not all, I also heard that no one's been able to beat him today."

Well…okay then. That, again, should be expected. It wasn't like Gym Badges got handed out like candy. He had to earn his place at the top and undefeated or not, Lincoln was going to take Bobby down.

"But that's not the worst of it. I didn't get a good look at all of them but from what I mostly saw, a good number of them were Fire-types."

Lincoln's eyes bugged out of his skull.

Fire-types were supposed to be strong against Bug-types, not the other way around! How could Bobby, an advertised Bug-type user, have an advantage over Fire-types?

"You…you think that means that Fennekin might lose?" Lincoln asked Clyde shakily.

"No," Clyde told him earnestly, "I just think that you need to be on your guard."

Lincoln gave him a nod, though it wasn't one that was full of confidence.

"Will do. Thanks for the tip, Clyde."

With that, Lincoln left Clyde to walk towards the giggling couple. As he did, he noticed an old man with a large gray beard, dressed in a brown referee shirt. Lincoln realized that he must've been the Gym's official…official.

' _So, Bobby's got no problem taking down Fire-type Pokémon, huh? Guess this won't be such a piece of cake after all,'_ Lincoln thought as he finally stood in front of Bobby and Lori.

The couple broke away from their hug when they noticed Lincoln standing there. Bobby reached out his hand for Lincoln to shake, all while smiling at him.

"You must be Lincoln, right?" he asked.

Lincoln grasped Bobby's hand for the handshake and nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Lori's told me all about you," Bobby told him.

Lincoln's heart pattered nervously as he looked back at Lori, who was standing behind Bobby with tiny smile on her face.

Lori didn't have the most flattering opinion of him, given what he had done to her earlier, and Lincoln was worried that Bobby would probably take their battle more seriously and personal given Lori's mishap.

"She told me you helped her with some shopping today and you barely even knew her. Gotta say, man, that's earned you a good place in my book."

Lori, having heard statement, looked down at Lincoln and gave him wink. Lincoln suppressed the urge to let out a relieved laugh, not wanting Bobby to catch on to the fact that he had just dodged a bullet and it was all thanks to Lori not painting him out to be a little monster.

"But don't think that means I'm gonna take it easy on you. I also heard that you're planning on challenging my Gym. That true?"

Lincoln's ears caught Bobby's cocky, challenging tone, as if he was testing Lincoln's resolve.

Despite his slight apprehension, Lincoln knew that if he was going to go down, he was going to do it without giving off the impression that he was a coward.

"That's true, alright," Lincoln said with a smirk.

Bobby replicated his smirk with one of his own.

"Feisty one, aren't we, Lincoln? I like that. I guess that means you're pretty confident in yourself, too?"

Lincoln's eyes narrowed as he leaned in a bit closer.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Bobby's face shifted into bemusement and he threw his head back and laughed. Lincoln, not knowing whether to be insulted or not, just waited for Bobby to finish. Once he did, he wiped a tear from his eye and gave Lincoln a playful punch in the shoulder.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Bobby cried. "I'm sure you're going to make this interesting for the both of us!"

Before Lincoln could share those exact same sentiments, Bobby suddenly looked as if something important and urgent dawned on him. Looking towards the direction of the old man from earlier, Bobby said, "Oh, but first, I gotta make sure that you're registered in the Kalos League. I'll go have one of my attendants take care of that. He'll also be refereeing the battle. Just wait it out here until he comes back."

Bobby left him to do just that and once he did, Lincoln thought it'd be a great idea to say a few things to Clyde before he battled. He spotted Clyde sitting on one of the bottom wooden bleachers and upon doing so, ran up to him.

Once their eyes met, Lincoln unslung his backpack off and placed that, along with his briefcase, right next to Clyde.

"Clyde, watch my stuff for me and also…"

Lincoln unzipped his backpack and pulled out his Pokédex. Then, he handed it off to Clyde, who looked at it inquiringly.

"Can you make sure to take my Pokédex and scan Bobby's Pokémon while we're battling? I wanna get a closer look at them after our match. You should know how it works since I showed you, right?"

"Can't you just do that yourself?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah but I don't want it to look like I'm trying to gain a cheap advantage, you know? Professor Spruce made it so I couldn't but not everyone's gonna see it that way. I just wanna have all my bases covered," Lincoln told him.

The last thing he needed was to be called out on for cheating, especially when he had such a hill to climb.

"Good point," Clyde said and turned on the Pokédex in preparation.

Once he did, Lincoln looked down at Fennekin's Pokéball and smiled down at it.

' _Well, here goes nothing, Fennekin. Let's show this Gym what you're made of!'_

He perked up when he heard Bobby shouting to him.

"Hey, Lincoln, looks like you're all good! Now, you wanna take your spot on the other side of the battle area so we can get started?!"

"Be right there, Bobby!" Lincoln shouted back but just as he was about to head towards him, he caught someone coming towards him from the corner of his eye.

He turned around to see who it was and upon doing so, didn't recognize who it was. Although the person was wearing a purple hoodie with the hood up, Lincoln could tell that the person was a girl (from what he could remember, boys didn't wear shorts that…short nor dress in knee high socks, lavender or otherwise). Like Bobby, she was tan-skinned. Her distinct features were her freckles, buck teeth, and a little wisp of black hair that hung over her widow's peak.

For whatever reason, she didn't appear happy at all but that didn't stop Lincoln from wanting to make a good first impression.

Finally, the girl stopped in front of him, eyeing him down like he had stolen something from her. Though her hands were stuffed in the front pocket of her hoodie, Lincoln guessed they were probably balled in fists.

"Oh, hey, there," Lincoln said sunnily, "My name's Linc- _oof_!"

Without the slightest hint of remorse on her face, the girl purposefully shoved past Lincoln, roughly pushing into him with her shoulder. Without giving him a second glance, she walked up to the top bleacher and sat in the corner, looking at the battlefield with a bored expression on her face.

' _Okay, that totally wasn't rude at all. What's her deal?'_ Lincoln thought, peeved at the rude encounter.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Lincoln looked back at the battlefield and saw that Bobby had taken his place in his own Trainer spot as he and the official, who was standing off at the sidelines, waited for him. He could also see Lori, who was sitting in the middle of the other set of bleachers, probably in an attempt to keep her distance from Clyde.

With nothing more to do than take his spot, Lincoln steadily walked towards designated area and flashed a thumbs up when he heard Clyde yell out, "Go, Lincoln!"

Finally, Lincoln was in his area and did his best not to let his jittery nerves manifest. His poker face, while adequate, couldn't complete a façade of professional indifference, not when his heart was beating with the speed of a Accelgor.

"The Santalune City Gym battle between Bobby, the Gym Leader and the challenger, Lincoln Loud from Vaniville Town, is about to begin," the official stated.

Lincoln's hand reached down at the Fennekin's Pokéball, gripping at it tightly between his fingers.

"The maximum number of Pokémon that the challenger is permitted to use is equal to the number that the Gym Leader has," he continued. "In this case, the challenger will only be allowed to use up to two Pokémon for this battle. Furthermore, only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. The battle will continue until only one Trainer's Pokémon have all been ruled unfit for battle and the opponent is declared the winner. Do both Trainers understand these rules?"

"I read you loud and clear!" Bobby said. "How 'bout you, Lincoln?!"

With the rules now clear, Lincoln realized that he had two choice.

One, he could simply follow along with a "proper etiquette" and announce that he understood the rules before he engaged Bobby in battle.

Or two, he could make a statement by declaring that he'd beat both of Bobby's Pokémon with just one of his.

Lincoln liked to believe at this point, he was a bit of a maverick.

"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear, too, but guess what, Bobby?!" Lincoln fired back. "I'm only gonna need one Pokémon for this battle! Guess that means you won't have to worry about substitutions!"

* * *

When Lincoln's brash, self-assured words left his mouth, Lori reeled back in indignation.

' _Okay, forget about what I said about not knowing whether this kid had a lack of brains or plenty of guts! Clearly, it's the former! What the hell has gotten into him to think that he can defeat Bobby with just one Pokémon?! And the scary part is, it looks like he means it!'_

Once the shock wore off, it gave way to disappointment and Lori scowled as Lincoln's words bounced around in her head.

' _I respect confidence but I can't tolerate overconfidence. Looks like he's nothing more than a cocky brat. And just when I was actually starting to like him, too.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other set of bleachers, the girl, who had angrily shoved past Lincoln, pulled out one of her hands from her hoodie pocket and slammed it against the wood of her seat as he teeth grinded.

' _Is this chump for real?! Who does he think he is?!'_

She breathed heavily though her nose, trying and failing to rein in her temper. Then, a pleasing thought came to her mind, one that made her smirk.

' _Fine, let him have his little moment. Before long, Bobby'll send him crying home to mommy. That'll teach him to mock this Gym and everything it stands for with his tough guy act.'_

* * *

"Woah, now that's a surprise!" a stunned Bobby exclaimed, not sounding insulted at all. "Not only are you gonna beat me but you're gonna do it with just one Pokémon?! This I gotta see!"

"Very well," the official said with an amused smile of his own. "Let the Santalune City Gym battle…"

' _Well, here goes nothing,'_ Lincoln thought.

It was time to see if he could cash a check that his mouth just wrote out for the entire Gym to hear.

" _ **BEGIN!**_ "

* * *

 _After nearly an entire month of training, the time has finally arrived! Lincoln Loud's first real Kalos League challenge, the Bug-type Gym Leader, Bobby, is about to do battle and from the looks of things, he's just as confident in victory as Lincoln is in his own._

 _Lincoln appears to have the type advantage over Bobby's Pokémon but will that be enough to offset the numbers advantage that Bobby has or will Lincoln's assurance be revealed to be nothing more than an amateur's arrogance once he's taken the thrashing of a lifetime?_

 _And what of Clyde's warning? How will Bobby's apparent efficiency in dealing with Fire-type Pokémon play out for Fennekin?_

 _And who was that hooded spectator that appeared to have quite the distaste for Lincoln's brashness?_

 _To find out, look out for the next chapter of_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _!_

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we are. Well, like I already told you all before, this was a fun chapter for me to write. The next one, however, might be a mixed bag experience for me. Being the worrywart that I am, I've been thinking about how to write the next chapter out for the longest time and by God, I still haven't reached an agreeable conclusion as of yet.

That being said, it shouldn't take too long for me to publish the next chapter so don't think you have to wait for long.


	8. A Blaze of Glory

**A/N:** Well, here goes nothing. This would've been put out earlier but naturally, I was apprehensive about what I put in this chapter so I made some last-minute revisions. Hope they're all good

With that, let's dive right into "Chapter 8: A Blaze of Glory".

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _After spending nearly an entire month in Santalune Forest, Lincoln and Clyde moved onwards to Santalune City so that Lincoln could challenge the Gym Leader who resided there. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse for Lincoln when he had a very messy encounter with a passerby in Santalune City. That stranger was a young woman named Lori and after a tense, belligerent confrontation, Lincoln found himself engaged in a shopping trip with her to replace the blouse that he had unwittingly ruined._

 _After the blouse search ended, Lincoln wound up learning a few things about Lori, including the fact that her boyfriend was none other than the Santalune City Gym Leader, a young man named Bobby. Once Lincoln, Lori, and Clyde arrived at the Gym, Lincoln quickly became acquainted with Bobby, as well as the fact that he utilized Bug-type Pokémon, a very advantageous brand of adversity for Lincoln's Fennekin._

 _However, before heading off to battle, Clyde warned Lincoln that while he was in the Pokémon Center to retrieve his new Froakie from Spruce Labs, he picked up on a few frightening things about Bobby; that he hadn't lost a single battle since his Gym reopened after the conclusion of the Lumiose Conferene, several Pokémon were treated there because of battles they lost to Bobby and worst of all, a good number of them were Fire-types, just like Fennekin._

 _Regardless of the warning, Lincoln was determined to defeat Bobby. Once the stage was set for their battle, Lincoln declared, with the utmost confidence, that he was aiming to beat Bobby with just one Pokémon, despite the fact that Bobby would be using two of them. His boast earned derision from both Lori and from a girl that Lincoln briefly encountered shortly before he went on the battlefield._

 _Now, with all eyes set on the battlefield, it's time for Lincoln's resolve and skills to be tested like never before…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8:** A Blaze of Glory

* * *

 _Santalune City Gym. July 1st, 2036. 3:47 PM._

As soon as Lincoln heard the official loudly declare that the Gym Battle was underway, his already tense, nervous body's muscles coiled even tighter than before as he clenched his teeth in a jittery, overcompensated snarl that only earned a laugh from Bobby as he calmly gazed at the young challenger from the other side of the battlefield.

Lincoln was too anxious to be embarrassed at the reaction that _his_ reaction got. Now, more than ever, there was no turning back. Technically, he could obey the crawling insecurities that bored into his skull that screamed at him to quit but after everything that he had just said to Bobby, after everything that he and Fennekin did to get to this point, after saying goodbye to his family for this journey…

He'd be a coward to give in before things even started and before he even left the house that fateful day, Lincoln knew that even if he went down in the history books as a loser, it was better than someone who would live out his days with the regret of not chasing his dreams or worse, a coward that bailed at the first sign of trouble.

Meanwhile, Bobby did nothing to unclench the anxiety that clearly swelled throughout Lincoln's body and only wanted the battle to get underway. As funny as Lincoln's "stiff mannequin" routine was, he didn't want to stand around and do nothing.

"Hey, Lincoln, since you're technically a guest here in my Gym, I'll let you do the honors and throw out your Pokémon first."

His call to him finally snapped Lincoln out of his reverie of rising panic and to his relief, he found his earlier confidence slowly begin to restore his pulsing nerves.

"That's fine by me, Bobby," Lincoln said in a strained voice, hoping to mask the uneasiness that still had a grasp on his mental fortitude.

With that, without taking his eyes off the empty battlefield, Lincoln tugged off Fennekin's Pokéball off the hook of his belt, pressed the button in the middle, and felt the capsule expand in his palm.

While all this happened, Lincoln's mind diverted into a concern he had expressed to Clyde earlier.

' _Welp, time for my battle cry that I just came up with. Hope it gets over well.'_

With a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, Lincoln dug his heels further into dusty ground beneath his soles and threw out his Pokéball.

"Fennekin, it's time to win the day!" Lincoln declared loudly.

Once the Pokéball hit the ground, it opened and a red beam showered from its void. As the empty Pokéball bounced back into Lincoln's awaiting, outstretched hand, the translucent light faded, revealing Lincoln's trusty Pokémon, glaring at Bobby determinedly while she tensely stood her ground against the threat that was about to shortly confront her.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin yipped sharply.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Lori looked on at Lincoln's Fennekin and crossed her arms, all while frowning disapprovingly at what she saw.

' _So that's why Lincoln's so cocky. He thinks all he needs is a Fire-type to literally burn his way through this challenge.'_

She shook her head and sighed.

' _But still, it's a rookie mistake to think that type advantage is the only way to win a battle. Besides, even if it were, Bobby's got a way to counter Fire-type Pokémon.'_

Once the thought slipped out, Lori shook her head again, this time, in firm correction to what she found to be a mistake on her end.

' _Actually, I should say that he has two ways of countering them.'_

* * *

Lincoln studied Bobby's face to see any signs of wavering confidence or any signs of potential anxiety.

To his shock and dismay, not only did Bobby look to be as calm and collected as ever, if his cocky sneer was any indication, he almost looked…amused.

The revelation made a lone sweat drop trickle down the side of Lincoln's face as his rapid heartbeat began beating to life once more.

"Ah, no wonder you're so self-assured," Bobby drawled without the tiniest hint of concern in his voice. "A Fire-type, huh? Well, I wonder what I'm gonna do against that."

' _Not good,'_ Lincoln thought. ' _He doesn't look the least bit worried. Looks like Clyde was on the money, after all. I'm gonna have to be careful.'_

Lincoln looked on as Bobby pulled out a shrunk Pokéball from one of his vest pockets, made it expand, and cradled it loftily in his hand.

"So now that I've seen your Pokémon, it's time I showed you one my mine."

As soon as he finished with those words, Bobby's face steely hardened, leaving no trace of his casually jovial demeanor left.

"Let's do this!" Bobby yelled as he tossed his Pokéball out to the field.

Lincoln thumping heartrate picked up as he waited for the red beam of light, that had just expelled from the Pokéball, to unsheathe Bobby's Pokémon of choice. He had no idea what it would be but he was sure it was going to be one tough customer.

Finally, the light dissipated, revealing a Pokémon that was completely against Lincoln's expectations. Instead of a hulking brutish Bug-type Pokémon, this creature looked to be about the same size of Fennekin.

Its body was whitish, which was attached to four legs; the front two being a pale brown while the hind legs matched the whitish color of the abdomen but not the color of the green wings attached on the back. Its snout was small and protruding and it had a thin stripe, shaped like a "V", between its small, beady eyes, which were black and had green rings for irises. The snout had two whisker-like antennae jutting out from either side of the tip, which flittered about excitedly upon sensing its new challenger of the day.

"Nincada!" the Pokémon shouted, eliciting Fennekin to take an even more rigid, defensive stance.

* * *

Holding out the Pokédex, Clyde recalled Lincoln's instructions as he aimed the screen at the Nincada.

"Nin…cada?" Clyde questioned as he pressed the Pokédex's scan button. "I wonder what it brings to the table?"

He got his answer once the device was finished scanning, its sudden beeping drawing Clyde's focus onto the screen as a 3D image of Nincada popped up and slowly rotated at three hundred sixty degrees.

" _ **Nincada, the Trainee Pokémon. It's nearly blind because of how long its lived underground. Thus, its antennae are utilized to sense its surroundings. This Pokémon procures nutrition by absorbing nutrients from the roots of trees.**_

 _ **This Nincada is a Male."**_

Deciding to check the screen for more information, Clyde's eyes scanned past the stats that failed to capture his interest…

Until at last, he approached the Type stat, which would always showcase the Pokémon's type or, in some cases, its types.

' _And according to this Pokédex, it looks like Nincada is Bug and…_ ' Clyde's eyes widened in panic. _'Ground?! Oh no! Ground's super effective against Fire! No wonder Bobby's had no trouble taking down Fire-types! That Nincada probably knows a few Ground-type moves!'_

Placing the Pokédex between his legs, Clyde looked on worriedly towards Lincoln as he stood from afar, ready to engage in battle with his determined and unfazed Fennekin.

' _I hope Lincoln's got a plan against that Nincada. Otherwise, this might be over soon.'_

* * *

"You can have the first move, Lincoln," Bobby said, his lackadaisical grin returning in full form, along with his body language showing no signs of tension.

Hoping to catch Bobby off guard, Lincoln wasted little time in calling out Fennekin's first, and hopefully impactful, move.

"Fennekin, go for Ember!"

Immediately, Fennekin roared out her name as a hot, smoldering, orange glow of fire began to form in her mouth as she reeled her head back. Then, in a flash, a fireball whooshed out as it hurled towards the unmoving Nincada.

"Dodge it, Nincada!" Bobby ordered.

Effortlessly, the Nincada skittered to the right, dodging the fiery projectile as it sailed past him.

"Use Ember again!" Lincoln called out quickly, not wanting to let up on the assault.

Once more, Fennekin fired another Ember, as good as the last, aiming where the Nincada had just moved after weaving past the previous Ember.

"Dodge!"

And once more, Nincada did just that as its antennae perked up, feeling out the oncoming attack, as he moved towards his left while the Ember whooshed passed him by a few good inches.

Growling lowly, Lincoln tried his best to keep his frustration at bay as he yelled, "Ember!", this time, with more vigor than before.

For the third time, Fennekin summoned an Ember from her mouth as it sailed towards the Nincada's new position.

"Dodge, Nincada!"

This time, Lincoln looked on intently as he expected the Ember would be dodged by Nincada. The second Nincada began to shift, Lincoln quickly made his move, hoping to blindside Nincada with a break in the rhythm established by the "Ember, then dodge" routine that had been established.

"Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

Before Nincada could completely dodge the Ember, Fennekin did as her Trainer instructed as she barreled towards him with speed that the attack imbued, all while a fiery bright red aura shrouded her. Once Nincada evaded the Ember, his antennae shook wildly as he felt the oncoming attack zero in on him.

Bobby, though a little deterred at the unexpected move, remained focused and ultimately, unworried.

"Nincada, use Dig!"

Lincoln froze up, doing nothing more than shouting out a panicked, "Oh no!"

As Fennekin inched ever closer to her target, the Nincada calmly, but rapidly, dug a hole into the ground, burrowing under the surface of the battlefield as Fennekin charged on through regardless.

"Fennekin, stop!" Lincoln cried.

Digging her paws roughly into the ground, Fennekin grit her teeth as she tried to fight against the momentum of her attack, sliding against the smooth, but somewhat rocky, floor of the battlefield. At last, she stopped, just in front of the hole that Nincada had created. Once she did, Fennekin leaned over and peered inside, looking about as she tried to locate the Nincada but with how frantically her head whizzed about, she was none the wiser to his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, sensing the chill of foreboding run down his spine, Lincoln scrambled about with a next plan of attack. Dig, as far as he knew, was a Ground-type move, and a powerful one at that. With Ground-type moves being extremely effective against Fire-types like Fennekin, Lincoln knew he had to quickly come up with a way to not only evade the upcoming blow but quickly counter any future attempts at the attack.

"Fennekin, uh…uh…"

Drawing a blank, Lincoln just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Just keep running about to confuse Nincada!"

Nodding, Fennekin retreated from the hole and did as commanded as she scurried around the battlefield every which way, not following any type of pattern or coordination.

Bobby just clicked his tongue in playful reprimand. Though Lincoln's strategy didn't appear to be too far gone from a sound plan, it was foolish once confronted from reality. Through years of training and experience from countless battles, Bobby picked up a good sense of timing, something that was vital for a move like Dig to work.

And he was determined to let Lincoln know that no matter what good he thought that having Fennekin zig zag around madly would bring, it would be futile in the face of experience and most importantly of all, timing.

"Nincada, pop up now!" Bobby shouted with gusto.

Fennekin ignoring Bobby's command, continued to run around…

Until she felt the ground crumbling beneath her. Looking down in horror, Fennekin shrieked as Nincada suddenly emerged from the hardened soil and thrashed her roughly as his tough claws pounded into her.

"Kiiiiiiiin!" Fennekin squealed in pain as the Dig attack sent her flying while Lincoln watched helplessly.

* * *

The hooded girl let out a quiet, triumphant cackle as she admired the damaged inflicted on Lincoln's Nincada.

' _Take that, loser. No one comes to this Gym without taking a lot of licks. You and that furry little wimp are gonna learn that this Gym is nothing to sneeze at.'_

* * *

Once Fennekin careened into the ground on her side, right in front of Lincoln, Lincoln had to hold in the urge to run in there and get Fennekin out of harm's way out of instinct.

"Fennekin, hang in there!" Lincoln encouraged, watching as Fennekin shakily got on all fours, looking on at the Nincada as its blind eyes apathetically peered at her struggle.

"Nincada, Mud-Slap!"

"Nincada!" the Trainee Pokémon responded as he set to work.

Instantly, Nincada used the claws from its front legs to dig into the ground in front of him, using the claws to rapidly hurl chunks of dirt at his opponent. Before Fennekin or Lincoln could react, the hailstorm of artillery hurt true, causing another scream of anguish to tera out of Fennekin as her body was pelted with the bullets of earth. Regardless, Fennekin stood her ground.

Finally, the hailstorm ended and a weary, dirty Fennekin flopped on the ground while Lincoln stood by in alarm.

' _Not good! Another Ground-type move made a direct hit!'_

Before Lincoln could lament the situation any further, he heard Bobby loudly order, "Nincada, go for Fury Swipes!"

Unlike before, Lincoln wasn't caught off guard and told his wounded Fennekin, "Dodge the swipes, Fennekin!", even while Nincada zoned in on her.

At the sight of the incoming assailant, Fennekin hurriedly hopped to her feet, ignoring the pain in her limbs as she prepared for the first of many of Nincada's Fury Swipes. The Nincada, now in front of her, sent out its left claw to swing at Fennekin…

And was sidestepped easily.

The second swipe, this one from its right claw…

Was also evaded.

For the first time since the battle started, Bobby looked flabbergasted at the events that were transpiring in front of him. Meanwhile, it was Lincoln who felt that he was in control of the situation as he beamed with pride at Fennekin's prowess.

There, smack dab in the middle of the battlefield, was a swinging and missing Nincada as he rapidly swung its claws in a furious torrent of strikes, while Fennekin dodged every hit.

"What?!" Bobby cried out in confusion.

* * *

Clyde chuckled at Bobby's indignant reaction, a small feeling of satisfaction coming from looking at the plight of the person whom he felt had snatched away the most beautiful creature on Earth, Lori, away from him.

' _Looks like all that dodge training with Herdier's paying off,_ ' Clyde thought as a smug grin spread across his face.

It melted once he got a closer look at Fennekin and realized, despite her success, she was straining a bit, clearly from the attacks she took prior to this triumphant moment.

' _Still, it's gonna take a lot more than dodging to win. That Dig and Mud-Slap looked like it really hurt Fennekin.'_

* * *

Lincoln grinned even wider as realization hit him: with Nincada up closer to Fennekin, now was a perfect time to hit it while he was within such short range.

He couldn't use his secret weapon, though. That would be saved for his second and final Pokémon should it have to come down to that.

"Flame Charge!"

Amidst the dodging, Fennekin responded to the command as her body became engulfed in flames once more. The Nincada immediately stopped his failing assault once Fennekin's aura slightly pushed him backwards. All at once, Fennekin's Flame Charge had made its mark, crashing straight through Fennekin as she flew up high up into the air as Fennekin whizzed on by.

"Cadaaaaaaaaaa!" Nincada groaned as he helplessly hurdled towards the ceiling.

With a quick snap of his fingers, Lincoln exclaimed, "Alright! Bullseye!"

* * *

Lori, on the other hand, was not impressed.

' _He missed his chance to follow up,'_ she chided as she watched Lincoln do nothing but look up at the Nincada as gravity began to take over and force it back down.

She noted his self-assured expression and sneered with disappointment.

' _He really is nothing more than a cocky kid.'_

* * *

Lincoln could think of nothing but victory right now. He had hit Nincada with a hard-hitting Fire-type move, and one that increased Fennekin's speed upon a successful impact. It was clear to him now that Mud-Slap and Dig were the anti-Fire-type moves that Bobby had probably successfully used to defeat so many Fire-type throughout the day but now, as Nincada careened towards the ground with increasing speed, there was nothing he felt that he had to fear. Nothing at a-

"Nincada, Dig!"

"Huh?!"

Lincoln looked up and saw that Bobby didn't look anywhere close to being apprehensive as he would've thought and with what he just shouted out, it was obvious to see why. Having stopped her Flame Charge a good while ago, Fennekin turned around just in time to see Nincada dive towards the ground, its claws about to burrow into the dirt below.

' _But I…I thought it was over!'_ Lincoln screamed mentally as Nincada followed through, digging into the ground and creating another hole in the wake of the maneuver.

Once again, fear began to grip at Lincoln's chest but despite the anxiety, he tried his best to stay level-headed. Running about hadn't worked at all. The only thing that Lincoln could do was…was…

"Fennekin, just stay put! Listen out for Nincada's next move!"

Fennekin did so, sitting back on her haunches and feeling the slightly rumbling ground beneath her paws. Lincoln, as well as Fennekin, had to make a split-second move to evade Nincada's quick and hard-hitting Ground-type attack.

What felt like hours passed Lincoln by, but it was only a few second before Bobby cried out, "Now, Nincada!"

As soon as Lincoln spotted the first crack begin to split the ground beneath an awaiting Fennekin, Lincoln shouted, "Fennekin, hop back and use Ember!"

Before the floor could crumble beneath her, Fennekin leaped back as a clearly wounded Nincada popped out, missing the Dig attack entirely.

"Kiiiiiin!" Fennekin cried, hurling out another Ember towards the Trainee Pokémon the near instant it appeared.

Shaken a bit, Bobby quickly ordered, "Harden!"

A shiny sheen coated around Nincada's whole body as it rigidly curled up, just in time for the Ember to collided into him and send him falling back. Lincoln, however, could tell that the attack hadn't done enough, thanks to Nincada's defensive maneuver, but that didn't mean he was close to letting up. He wasn't about to let Nincada slip away just because it was vulnerable.

He had _already_ made that mistake once and wasn't too keen on repeating it.

"Rush in with Flame Charge!"

Weaving past the hole that Nincada had created, Fennekin charged at Nincada once more, hoping to hit it before it could retaliate.

Bobby, who had been following Fennekin's movements the whole battle, was taken off guard by Fennekin's increased speed, which she had acquired from connecting with the last Flame Charge. Chiding himself for his momentary lack of prepared perception, Bobby scrambled into action, hoping to avoid the oncoming blow.

"Go for Dig again! Quick!"

Just as the Nincada uncurled from its hardened state, Fennekin had rushed in far too closely, and much too quickly, for Nincada to begin its frantic digging.

Once more, Fennekin careened her body into Nincada as she flaming aura crackled and burned at Nincada's unprotected, impotent body.

"Niiiiiiiin!" Nincada cried out in pain as, instead of flying into the air, skidded into the ground until at last, it came to a halt.

Once it did, it was clear that Nincada, from its swirling eyes, that it had effectively been knocked out cold.

"Nincada can no longer continue!" the elderly official announced. "Fennekin is the winner!"

Lincoln jubilantly pumped his fists. He hadn't won (yet) but still, this was his first time winning an official Pokémon battle against a Trainer, and a Gym Leader at that! This wasn't training out in the forest with Clyde; this was the real deal and he was smackdab in the middle of a hard earned, hard fought victory.

"Way to go, Fennekin!" Lincoln praised as his slightly weary Fennekin turned to him, wagging her tail about excitedly.

* * *

For the first time since observing him in battle, Lori smiled faintly.

' _I stand corrected. Maybe Lincoln's not so shabby after all.'_

Her thoughts then wandered to what Lincoln had said earlier; that he would defeat Bobby with just one Pokémon and it nearly made Lori frown all over again. Lincoln may have gotten half the job done but from what she knew, he had finished the _easy_ half, at least compared to what she knew lied in store for Lincoln next.

' _Still, it might be a good idea for that Fennekin to switch out now. It won't stand a ghost of a chance if Lincoln keeps it in.'_

* * *

Clyde rocked back and forth in his seat excitedly, raising his arms in the air and hollering with the best of them.

"Woo-hoo! Alright, Lincoln! Keep clobberin' him! You got this in the bag! Show this guy that you-"

Suddenly, he felt a very odd, very deathly sensation creep into his gut. Gulping, he slowly turned his head around to where he felt source was coming from…

And found the girl whom he had briefly seen walk into the Gym, shortly before Lincoln's battle, glaring daggers at him, silently warning him to cut out the fanfare.

He shrunk back as he turned towards Lincoln again, a nervous grin spread across his face.

"Or, uh, y-y'know…B-Bobby could still stand a chance, too. J-Just sayin'. You never know."

* * *

Letting out a chuckle, Bobby quickly retrieved Nincada's Pokéball and with click of the white button, summoned the red beam of light to emerge.

"Let's call it a day, Nincada," Bobby said as the light pulled back the fainted Nincada back into its capsule.

Stuffing it back where he had originally stored it, Bobby turned to Lincoln as he blindly reached for what Lincoln guessed was his next Pokémon's Pokéball.

"Well, Lincoln, I gotta say, well done. Looks like your Fennekin not only surprised me but you as well."

Lincoln, who hadn't really been paying much attention to his own feelings, pushed back the euphoria and thrill of victory and sure enough, what was left, unbridled in his soul, was astonishment. He felt it surge through him like an electric current when Fennekin had managed to dodge Nincada's last Dig attack at just the right moment.

' _No kidding,'_ Lincoln admitted to himself. _'Not even I thought that Fennekin would listen in for Nincada that well.'_

He focused back to Bobby once his hand came out of his left pants pocket, revealing another Pokéball that looked no different from the last. Unlike what he did before with Nincada's, Bobby wasn't treating it like a trinket.

From Lincoln's perception, he was clutching onto it like it was the only thing in the world that he could depend on.

"But now, it's time for this battle to end!" Bobby declared as he threw the Pokéball towards the stage.

Lincoln and Fennekin prepared themselves for the next threat to materialize and by the sound of Bobby's voice, this one was going to be his ace in the hole. Finally, the red light vanished, revealing a Pokémon that fluttered about in the air.

The body was divided into three segments and each one differed from the other with shades of gray. The stubby legs were also divided by color; the lower half was black while the upper half was grayish. Though it clearly had hands, two little circles, it had no arms that were visible. Its pixelated eyes looked back at Fennekin with surprising joviality and the small smile, that etched across its round, grayish head, didn't do anything to keep Fennekin off her guard. The thin antennae, attached to the head, whipped about as the Pokémon flapped its red, white, and black wings about.

* * *

The surly mood of the girl was replaced by a haughty smile as she watched Bobby's new Pokémon fly about easily on Bobby's side of the stage.

' _Now, you're in for it. There's no way you're beating Vivillon. Just give up now and spare yourself the embarrassment of defeat. Or better yet, stay in. Your tears should give me a good laugh.'_

* * *

"Hold on…I think I might've seen a few Vivillon back in Santalune Forest," Clyde said, having recalled encountering a plethora of Bug-type Pokémon on his countless forest rummaging expeditions with his Loyal Dog Pokémon.

Regardless, Clyde knew that Lincoln had asked of him to scan Bobby's Pokémon for him and once he muttered to himself, "Still, I should scan it for Lincoln,", that's exactly what he did.

" _ **Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon and the evolved form of Spewpa,"**_ the Pokédex alerted Clyde. _**"Depending on the climate of their habitat, this Pokémon's wing patterns will differ from another Vivillon's wing patterns. There have been twenty different wing patterns documented by scientists and Pokémon Watchers alike, with the belief that there are even more that are left unaccounted for.**_

 _ **This Vivillon is a Male."**_

Clyde frowned. The entry hadn't given him anything useful, just the regular, usual stats (that were devoid of its moveset or ability) and a chart showing off all the different kinds of patterns that Vivillon could have. From the looks of things, Bobby's Vivillon had the Pokéball pattern.

"Well, it doesn't tell us anything about what he can do but still…"

Clyde looked over at Bobby and flinched at his fiery, determined eyes piercing into Lincoln from his position on the battlefield.

"I don't like that look on Bobby's face. Something tells me this isn't even close to being over for Lincoln."

* * *

The official looked over to Lincoln and asked, "Will the challenger, Lincoln, be making any substitutions?"

"Nope," Lincoln replied, not fazing one bit from Bobby's hard glare.

He was riding high on a wave of momentum and he was doing it because of what he and Fennekin were accomplishing as a team. Although, as he had told Clyde before, he was sure to have a full team by the time he applied for the Lumiose Conference, that didn't mean that in the present, he felt that he needed any other Pokémon than Fennekin.

Lincoln's response got Bobby, who had just been hardened for battle, to relax and look on at Lincoln in confusion.

"You sure, Lincoln? I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to switch someone else in. I know you said you were gonna defeat me with just one Pokémon but it looks like you've got another option or two left."

Lincoln blinked, not understanding what Bobby was say…

Oh. Oooooooooh. Bobby wasn't in the know. No wonder he was confused.

Lincoln chuckled weakly, dragging his foot across the ground shyly.

"Well, here's the thing, Bobby…"

He looked up at the ceiling bashfully.

"I, uh, kinda _have_ to stick with Fennekin. She's the only Pokémon I brought over."

Lincoln winced when he heard a hard smack emanating from the set of bleachers to his left. He looked over and found Lori, with her hand covering her face.

* * *

' _It's like this kid keeps finding more and more reasons to not want himself to be taken seriously! And here I thought he was just trying to show off! He's doing that WHILE he's literally tying his hands together with poor preplanning!'_

Growling into her palm, Lori had just about enough with this teeter-totter game. First, it was disappointment with Lincoln. Then, an admittance of skill. Then, the former. Then, the latter. That had been happening throughout the last battle with Nincada and Lori found it hard to decide if Lincoln was just some lucky kid or if he truly possessed the acumen of a worthwhile Pokémon Trainer.

But now? After what he had just admitted? There was no question, in her mind, that not only was he a lucky kid but a _stupid_ , lucky kid and one who was about to be creamed.

' _It's over now. No question about it. Bobby's gonna knock this twerp on his butt. I'm sorry, Lincoln, but you brought this on yourself.'_

* * *

After Lincoln's declaration, Bobby had done nothing but stare at his challenger in disbelief.

Feeling defensive from the reaction that Lori and Bobby had given him, Lincoln exclaimed, almost indignantly, "B-but still, I did it because I wanted to! Fennekin's the only Pokémon I'm gonna need to win! Just you wait and see!"

After that, Bobby resumed his battle-ready demeanor from earlier, waiting for the official to begin the second and final bout of this Gym Battle.

' _We'll see about that, Lincoln,'_ Bobby thought, determined to teach Lincoln a thing or two about overconfidence.

" _ **BEGIN!"**_ the official shouted.

This time, Lincoln wasn't going to wait for any cues from Bobby to start. He instantly took the initiative on his own terms as he yelled out, "Fennekin, move in close!"

Thanks to the two speed Boosts from both of Fennekin's Flame Charges from earlier, Fennekin, despite her minor injuries, has running forward at a rate faster than what he could normally do.

Despite this, Bobby was prepared to counter and knock Fennekin off her stride.

"Vivillon, Psybeam!"

Immediately, Vivillon squealed its name as it hurled a blue, jagged beam of energy, filled with pink circles, towards the charging Fox Pokémon.

"Dodge and keep moving forward!"

Before the beam could touch her, Fennekin barrel rolled over to her left side, completely evading the attack as it unearthed chunks of rock and dirt from colliding with the ground. Once back on the running side of things, Fennekin committed to closing the distance between her and the Scale Pokémon that was hovering above the ground by a good ten feet.

"Now, go for Ember!"

Fennekin shot out her first Ember of the bout whilst she ran, making sure that her fiery projectile was heading towards her target.

Unworried by the familiar blast of fire, Bobby instructed, "Dodge and use Quiver Dance!"

Before the Ember could hit true, the Vivillon suddenly began glow white. Before the Ember could hit, Vivillon expertly got out the way and zoomed towards Fennekin with great speed. Fennekin stopped in her tracks and looked on as the Vivillon suddenly stopped in its tracks as well, as it hovered about a foot away from Fennekin. Then, the Scale Pokémon's ever-present smile grew as it danced around Fennekin, leaving behind afterimages that made Fennekin take pause and look around her at the multiple copes the dancing was leaving behind.

"Now, go for Psybeam!"

Lincoln, knowing that Fennekin was too close to Vivillon to get out of the way quick enough, looked abut for another way out.

His prayers were answered when he looked behind Fennekin and reacted instantly.

"Fennekin, take shelter in that hole behind you!"

Just as Vivillon's Psybeam was about to come out of its mouth, Fennekin followed through with the order and, without looking back, ran backwards into the hole that Nincada had dug up earlier from the last time that he used Dig. The attack rendered the ground in another small burst of colliding energy, missing Fennekin entirely.

Lincoln had to thank Fennekin's speed for that feat of on-point timing and now that he felt that Fennekin had a good place of refuge, it was time for another of her stats to take a boost.

"Fennekin, Howl!"

From the hole, both Trainers heard Fennekin yelping out her name with gusto. Once it was finished, Lincoln knew that he couldn't stay in that hole forever and had to make his next move while Vivillon was close to the ground.

"Now, pop up and use Ember!"

On the dot, Fennekin leapt out the hole and fired out a stronger Ember towards the Vivillon, whose eyes widened with surprised.

Bobby wasn't fit to fret, however, and simply ordered, "Fly back and use Psybeam!"

Vivillon did so, flying back at least a few good feet before shooting out another Psybeam. Within a second, the blasts compounded into one another in a momentary struggle for the amalgamating energies created a small explosion that left behind a thick, cloud of gray smoke.

With the chance to make a move under concealment, Lincoln called out, "Quick, Fennekin, go for Flame Charge!"

The familiar flames of fervor enveloped Fennekin as she raced towards the smoke cloud, which she surmised hid her opponent from her eyes.

"Now, jump up!"

Using its front paws for propelling, Fennekin leapt into the air, diving through the smoke cloud until she saw Vivillon flapping its wings casually, all while retaining that irksome smile.

Without a second thought, Bobby cried out, "Vivillon, use Gust!"

Vivillon's wings began to pick up in speed, fluttering faster and faster and faster…

Until a huge stream of wind pushed forwards, clearing away the smoke and sending the airborne Fennekin back towards the ground. Before Fennekin could hit the ground roughly, she flipped in midair and landed softly on land.

Though Lincoln was happy for the graceful landing, he was still bothered by the fact that everything had reached a stalemate and because of her previous battle, Fennekin looked like she was beginning to tire.

"Dang it!" Lincoln snapped sharply.

Reminding himself not to give into pressure, Lincoln slapped his cheeks to perk himself up and get his mind back on the matter at hand. Besides, this wasn't close to being over as far as he was concerned.

' _Looks like I've got no choice but to use my secret weapon.'_

* * *

Having known his best friend for years, Clyde instantly perceived that Lincoln was up to something. His concentrated stare, his furrowed eyebrows, his twitchy fingers…it could only mean one thing.

' _I've seen that look plenty of times before,'_ Clyde thought. _'Just what are you planning, Lincoln?'_

* * *

Not wanting Vivillon to retreat back into the air quickly enough to get away from his next plan of attack, Lincoln shouted, "Ember!"

Fennekin responded with what she had been ordered and shot out an Ember towards Vivillon.

"Psybeam!" Bobby responded in kind.

Once again, the attacks collided into one another and created a similar smoke cloud from before. Lincoln held back a smile as luckily, Bobby was playing along perfectly.

"Ember!"

"Psybeam!"

Once again, another collision of attacks created a smoke cloud, further obstructing the view that separated each Pokémon from seeing the other.

"Ember!"

"Gust!"

Lincoln smirked. This was his chance. Though he didn't know what Bobby was thinking, he guessed that he thought that he was trying to take advantage of the smoke from the Ember/Psybeam clashes so that he could attack freely without Vivillon having a good idea about where the attacks came from.

Not quite.

Lincoln just sat back as the Gust began to do its job, clearing away the smoke, fizzling out the Ember, and pushing Fennekin back slightly.

NOW!

"Flame Charge into that hole!"

At the strange command, Bobby just reeled back confusedly.

"Huh?!" he exclaimed as Fennekin raced towards the other hole that Nincada had created. Once the speeding Fennekin made it into its shelter, whilst Vivillon was now beginning to cease its Gust attack, Bobby realized what Lincoln had just done.

He had ensured that Fennekin made it into the hole.

The hole that was directly underneath Vivillon!

Without letting Bobby try and do anything else, Lincoln knew that now was the time to bust out the move that he had taught Fennekin to use successfully during their Santalune Forest training and hopefully, it would finish off Vivillon in one shot.

"Now, use Fire Spin!"

Fennekin's mouth opened and a column of spiraling fire shot out quickly from his mouth, hurdling towards her opponent.

Bobby panicked, knowing that if Vivillon got trapped in the vortex, there was a good chance that he could lose.

"Vivillon, fly away!"

Vivillon looked down and for the first time since the battle started, its smile faltered into a frightened frown. Vivillon did its best, trying hard to get away from the oncoming attack…

And to the relief of neither Trainer, the Fire Spin had managed to hit Vivillon but only by striking its left wing.

Lincoln, who had been looking for a quick victory, wasn't satisfied with just a little damage.

Bobby, whose Pokémon was still in the fight, got away from an instant knockout but still had a left, damaged wing to contend with, which, by the looks of things, was making flight difficult for Vivillon as it dipped and soared erratically in the air.

* * *

Meanwhile, the hooded girl stood up from her seat in surprise, knocking back her hood in the process and revealing her ebony locks that her tied in a ponytail.

' _What?! Fennekin actually tagged him?!'_ she mentally exclaimed.

Her fists balled and she grit her teeth, not liking the outcome of this battle at all.

' _No! H-how could that fuzzy little rat actually hurt Vivillon?!'_

* * *

Lincoln looked on as Vivillon fluttered helplessly close to the ground, its damaged wing not allowing it to make great heights anymore.

Before he could tell Fennekin to follow through with an attack, Bobby beat him to the punch.

"Vivillon, use Powder!"

* * *

"And so, it begins," Lori stated solemnly.

* * *

Lincoln looked on as Vivillon's wings flapped, albeit with more difficulty, as a black powdery substance fluttered out of its wings and floated towards the ground a good three feet away.

"Vivillon, use Powder again!"

Vivillon did so while Lincoln did nothing to retaliate. He just looked on confusedly.

' _What is Bobby doing? Whatever that Powder stuff does, it's not even touching Fennekin.'_

Lincoln knew about Stun Spore, Poison Power, and Sleep Powder but he never heard of just regular 'ol Powder. And the thing was, it didn't even come close to touching Fennekin since Fennekin was positioned in the middle of the battlefield while Vivillon and the Powder were closer to Bobby's side.

"Vivillon, go for Powder one last time!"

Once Vivillon had completed its third Powder, a thick line of Powder was lined up between Vivillon and Fennekin.

"Now, Vivillon, use Psybeam!"

Lincoln tensed up as the familiar attack got Lincoln to spring into action.

"Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

Fennekin, once more, got herself inside of Flame Charge's aura as she raced towards Vivillon while completely evading the Psybeam without having to take an extra step in dodging.

However, as soon as the speeding Fire-type Pokémon's paw touched the Powder from earlier, it instantly ignited, causing a large, fiery explosion to bloom upwards and catch Fennekin within the blast.

Horrified, Lincoln could only look on catatonically and cry out, "FENNEKIN!"

' _That Powder! It exploded as soon as Fennekin's flames came into contact! It was a trap all along!'_

Fennekin, who was nearly out of a loop, was still hurdling towards the ground in a limp heap.

"Vivillon, use Gust!"

Before Fennekin could touch the ground, the strong wind picked up the last few remnants of Powder that were left on the ground and whipped the towards Fennekin as she fell, clinging the sooty attack on Fennekin's fur.

Once Fennekin careened into the earth below, Bobby cockily called out to a distraught Lincoln.

"How'd you like this, Lincoln? As long as my Powder touches fire, it goes off and anything nearby gets hurt in the explosion."

He pointed at Fennekin, whom, despite being covered in dirt, bruises, and Powder, was slowly but surely rising to her feet.

"And now that Powder's stuck to your Fennekin, it looks like you won't be using any Fire-type moves any time soon. Unless, of course, you want Fennekin to go "BOOM!"."

* * *

The girl sat back down, now relieved with the tide of the battle being turned towards Bobby's favor. A proud smirk grew as she watched Lincoln's helpless face.

' _Ha! Got 'em! Try to luck your way out of this one, loser!'_

* * *

"Fennekin, use…"

Lincoln stopped himself, ignoring Bobby's self-assured stance. What if…what if this was all just a trick? Sure, the Powder exploded when it touched Fennekin's fire but just because that was true, that didn't mean that Fennekin couldn't use Fire-type moves. After all, Ember was all about shooting out fire away from the user, not towards it and certainly not embracing in it like Flame Charge did.

"U-use Ember!" he ordered shakily.

Panting and weary, Fennekin slackly opened her mouth to shoot out an Ember. Once it did and an Ember began to creep out…

The tiny Powder particles reacted to the heat from Fennekin's Ember and ignited once more, enveloping Fennekin in a tiny burst of kinetic power.

"Kiiiiiin!" she cried out painfully as the blast sent her reeling back, landing a few feet back.

"There? You see?" Bobby taunted playfully, taking delight in Lincoln's slipping composure.

Despite what she had just endured, Fennekin steadily began to get on all fours once more, determination and grit plastered on her wounded face. Though Powder was no longer clung to her fur, she was still worse for wear; her body was splotched with wounds, her eyes strained to stay alert, and her breath came out in ragged puffs.

"K-k- _kiiiiiin_ ," she moaned weakly as she finally made it on her legs.

She didn't have much time for reprieve as Bobby made his next move.

"Vivillon, Psybeam!"

Though Vivillon was a good distance away, the incoming Psybeam was still coming in too fast for Lincoln's liking, especially with what Fennekin had just endured.

"Fennekin, roll out of the way!"

Instead of rolling, a wobbly Fennekin just shimmied drunkenly to her right, just barely evading the Psybeam but getting thrown up in the air a bit from the force that the collision of the beam made.

Sensing a perfect opening with a slightly airborne Fennekin, Bobby hollered, "Psybeam!"

"Dodge it!" was what Lincoln responded with, even though he knew it was too late. Before Fennekin could even force her closed eyes opened, the colored beam struck Fennekin in the side, forcing out a pained whimper as Fennekin's eyes flew open and Lincoln watched, completely crushed, as Fennekin fell to the ground.

* * *

' _Breaks my heart to see a kid his age get so dispirited_ ,' Lori thought sadly as she watched Lincoln's heart break at the sight of Fennekin's battered body lying on her side, unmoving to Lincoln's frantic cries to hang in there

It was shame that Lincoln had to go through such an experience because from what Lori could tell, it was the first time that he had seen his Pokémon go through the ringer.

' _But all the same, I can't say that you didn't do this to yourself. Oh well, there's always next ti-'_

"F-fenne…"

Lori's ears perked up at the resilient but faint whimper of Fennekin. Her eyes scanned the battlefield and found Fennekin, whom she presumed to be down for the count, covered prominently in an orange glow of fire. She looked on as Fennekin began to stir, weakly getting back up, though with some deliberation.

Thinking she was sure on what was happening, Lori asked herself, "Is that…?"

* * *

"Blaze?"

That was the only explanation for what was happening to Fennekin right now, as far as Lincoln was concerned. Although Lincoln had never seen Blaze happening to Fennekin before, he knew that was her Ability and he also knew that from the description, her Fire-type moves were going to get a big boost from this because of all the damage she had taken.

Bobby, unfazed by this development, just smiled ever brighter.

"Well now, looks like your Fennekin's not done yet. What'd you say, Lincoln? We gonna finish this now or what?"

Once Fennekin's stance resumed, despite Fennekin's eagerness, Lincoln knew that Fennekin had never endured this kind of damage before. Never. And although Clyde's words about having to get used to gritty battles rang true for him, now louder than ever before, it was clear that Fennekin's say in the matter was more important than his. If she didn't want to fight, he wasn't going to be a jerk and force her to endure more than she was up for.

"Fennekin, you ready to continue?"

He grinned when Fennekin looked at him over her shoulder, returning his grin to him and revealing her will to win through her weary but eager eyes.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin responded before turning back to Vivillon.

Lincoln laughed, relieved that Fennekin's heart was still in the battle. With Fennekin's well-being no longer in jeopardy, at least for now, Lincoln's minds began racing to come up with a new plan of attack but for now, he had a statement to address.

"You heard her, Bobby! This isn't over!"

Bobby nodded and called out his next move.

"Vivillon, go for Powder!"

Lincoln smirked. Not this time.

"Ember!"

With a worn-out yelp, Fennekin fired out an Ember that was twice as big as her regular ones. Before the Powder could hit the ground, it exploded the minute the Ember connected, nearly catching Vivillon in the blast.

"Woah!" Bobby exclaimed in shock, being rather close to the explosion himself.

With his state of mind momentarily distracted, Lincoln went in for what he predicted Bobby would do in response to his next move, given how he had reacted earlier to the smoke that blinded Vivillon.

"Fennekin, run towards Vivillon's left!"

Though her steps weren't as fast as before, even with her two Speed Boosts, Fennekin pressed onwards, dashing towards the left side of where she last saw the now obscured Vivillon.

"Vivillon, Gust!"

Vivillon followed through with the attack, much more clumsily than before. Thanks to its bruised wing, the Gust's winds were whipping about wildly, causing the smoke to be cleared every which way but at the cost of Vivillon, who was already in harm's way because of how low it was to the ground, to spiral further out of control as it got caught in the haphazard winds, sending it flying towards Fennekin.

"Flame Charge!"

Vivillon, without any control, sailed towards a now fire engulfed, charging Fennekin and was close to getting hit, until…

"Fly up!" Bobby frantically cried.

With everything that it had, Vivillon's imperfectly sturdy wings flapped, causing it to soar unstably into the air.

Lincoln, however, was still assured with himself.

' _Got ya! Time to use a trick I picked up from that Clawitzer!'_ Lincoln thought as he recalled how Clawizter had dodged Fennekin's ember by going airborne.

"Fennekin, quick, look at the ground and use Fire Spin!"

Fennekin skidded to a halt and did just that, shooting the column of fire towards the ground and causing Fennekin to be propelled into the air towards a vulnerable Vivillon, whom despite being airborne, still wasn't in control of its flight all too well. Bobby, too stunned by the unorthodox maneuver, just watched Fennekin hurl towards Vivillon.

"Now, hit 'em with Flame Charge!"

For what Lincoln hoed to be the final time, Fennekin's body became engulfed in flames that burned brighter than ever, thanks to Blaze's work.

Closer and closer and closer…

"Powder!"

Right before Vivillon could make the move, it was too late. With one mighty crash, Fennekin hurled herself dead center of Vivillon's body, causing Vivillon to cry out in anguish. It didn't take long until, eventually, both Pokémon began to dip towards the ground once gravity had taken over.

Bobby and Lincoln looked on as their respective Pokémon whizzed towards the hard ground but, in a last second happenstance of pure grace on Lincoln's end, Vivillon wound up underneath Fennekin and because of that, Fennekin was shielded from the last second impact with the floor as Vivillon crashed into the ground, leaving Fennekin unharmed in the wake of the rough contact.

Floppily, Fennekin fell off of Vivillon, finding no energy within herself to do nothing more than stare up at the ceiling…

Which was more than what could be said for Vivillon, whom was completely passed out, its eyes swirling about as its mouth remained agape in its unconscious stupor.

"Vivillon can no longer continue! Fennekin is the winner! Therefore, the winner of this battle is the challenger, Lincoln Loud of Vaniville Town!"

"We…we…"

Lincoln dropped to his knees, the declaration of his victory buzzing in his ears. He found himself incapable of doing anything but look on at his triumphant Fennekin, who was trying to catch her breath with all her might.

"Won?" he finished in a whisper.

"Lincoln!"

He heard Clyde calling out to him but in his stupor, acknowledging him was close to impossible right now.

"You did it, buddy! You won!"

He…he…he won? That's what he said, right?

"I…I…I…I…"

"Lincoln?"

"I…I…I…I…"

"Uhhhh…Lincoln?"

"I…I…I…I…"

"Okay, Lincoln, you're seriously starting to creep me ou-"

Without warning, Lincoln leapt to his feet, not caring who would find what he was about to say as weird.

"I GOT MY FIRST GYM BADGE!" he shouted as he ran towards Fennekin.

At the sound of her Trainer cheering wildly in joy, despite her pain and tiredness, Fennekin wearily tuned her head to the side and smiled as Lincoln approached her.

"Fennekin!" she squealed.

Once Trainer and Pokémon were reunited, Lincoln gently scooped Fennekin into his arms, rubbing his cheek gingerly into Fennekin's cheek.

"We did it, girl! We really did it!"

* * *

' _Well, would you look at that? Looks like I was wrong after all.'_

Looking on at the admittedly cute display, Lori giggled. Leave it to Lincoln to be full of surprises.

' _Then again, I suppose that even a Gym Leader like me can make the wrong call every now and then. I look forward to seeing you once you've grown up a little more, Lincoln. Don't disappoint me between now and Snowbelle City, okay? I'll be waiting for you.'_

* * *

Lincoln's cheering came to an end as soon as he saw Bobby approach him. As he did, he pulled out Vivillon's Pokéball and recalled the fainted Pokémon back to safety. All while he did, Lincoln couldn't help but feel relieved at Bobby's expression.

It was a proud smile, the kind a father would have for his children as he watched them grow into their own. If that's what that was, then it was a high honor to see someone like Bobby acknowledge what he and Fennekin had just been through.

"I gotta hand it to you, Lincoln, you really surprised me out there," Bobby began, chuckling as Lincoln modestly smiled at the compliment.

Once he was standing before Lincoln, he placed a hand on his shoulder, minding the Fennekin that he was cradling.

"Not just because of the fact that you won but because of _how_ you won. Way to think out of the box using those holes to Fennekin's advantage. Oh, and that Fire Spin/Flame Charge combo was really great, too."

As Bobby sung Lincoln's praises, the white-haired youth noticed that Bobby was going into his pants pocket again and a comically morbid through crossed Lincoln's mind _: 'What if Fennekin has to fight another Pokémon? Naw, Bobby wouldn't do that to me, right? Right?'_

"You and Fennekin proved that you're both strong enough to walk into my Gym, challenge it, and win. And because of that, may I present to you…"

His hand, which he had pulled out and was balled in a fist, opened to reveal a tiny brown symbol that formed a ring at the top and two greenish ovals on the circular surface.

"The Bug Badge. Take it, Lincoln. You've earned it."

Lincoln's eyes dazzled in awe. A Gym Badge. _His_ Gym Badge. After everything that he had done it even get out the door of his house, there were times where even Lincoln would doubt if he'd be able to reach this far. Perhaps, fate would come knocking at his door and pull him away from the journey with an unsurmountable obstacle.

But now that he was the proud recipient of the Bug Badge, that didn't seem possible anymore.

Lincoln sniffed, trying to fight back the tears that welled in his eyes.

"Thank you, Bobby," Lincoln said. "Thanks for the battle and thanks for showing me what it means to fight one of the best. I'll never forget today as long as I live."

Lincoln looked down at Fennekin once more, feeling a mixture of gratitude, awe, and joy at what Fennekin had been able to do for him so far and as far as he could tell, they had many more chances to experience the best of Kalos as a team while embracing new thrills and challenges together.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

' _You were amazing, Fennekin. I know now, more than ever, that the Kalos championship is as good as ours.'_

"Stop right there!"

Everyone looked up and Lincoln's gut tightened. They all turned their attention to the source of the objection, the girl from earlier. She marched towards Bobby and Lincoln, all while snarling and pointing at them.

"There's no way I'm letting this happen! He doesn't deserve that badge!"

As Lincoln looked on at the girl, utterly befuddled at what he could've done to make her so mad at her, he could've sworn he heard Bobby whisper lowly, "Ronnie Anne?"

* * *

 _What's this? It appears this mysterious spectator, who apparently goes by the name Ronnie Anne, has an issue with Lincoln being granted with the Bug Badge, despite clearly defeating Bobby. What objections will this girl raise? The next chapter of_ _ **PokéLoud Journerys**_ _will tell all!_

* * *

 **A/N:** What a way to cap off 100K words, eh? The very first Pokémon Gym battle and the very first Pokémon battle period. Took me long enough to get to one, didn't it? XD

I'm not very concerned about the battle coming off as too "unrealistic" with some of the liberties I took because with battles, I want to take a lax, less rigid approach like the anime does. Ironically, however, I'm trying my best to stick with the "four moves per battle" rule that the games enforce. That's not to say that Pokémon won't know more than four moves at a time but as far as using more than four in a battle? No dice.

Also, for those who are in the know, in the games, the move "Howl" only raises the Attack stat, meaning that only physical moves will get a boost from that move. Meaning, none of Fennekin's Fire-type moves, with the exception of Flame Charge, should've gotten powered up. However, like the anime, this story doesn't really make distinctions between special moves and physical moves. This is what I meant in Chapter 1's **A/N** , where I stated that I would be borrowing anime, game, and manga mechanics and putting them in the story however I see fit.


	9. Lincoln's Loud Companion

**A/N:** I'm gonna be leaving an important **A/N** at the end of this chapter. Trust me, it's not my usual brand of banality so do try and read it.

With that important piece of news done and over with, the only thing left to do is read _"Chapter 9: Lincoln's Loud Companion"_.

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _The Santalune City Gym Battle between the Gym Leader, Bobby, and the challenger, Lincoln Loud, began with Fennekin's might being tested against Bobby's Nincada. Though Nincada gained an early advantage against Fennekin, using Dig and Mud-Slap to deliver heavy blows against her, the tides were turned when Nincada was unable to hit his adversary with any of his Fury Swipes. Lincoln proceeded to press on the offensive and knocked Nincada back with a Flame Charge, increasing Fennekin's speed in the process. Though Nincada was able to recover with another Dig, this time, Fennekin was able to evade the imminent blow and secured victory after an Ember followed by yet another Flame Charge._

 _With just one Pokémon left, Bobby called on the strength of his Vivillon to win the battle. Although Lincoln was able to inflict damage with Fennekin's newest move, Fire Spin, it was not enough to deter Vivillon from countering with massive success. After spreading about Powder onto the field, Vivillon gained reprieve after Fennekin was utterly thrashed once her Fire-type moves set off the trap, creating a massive explosion that damaged her severely. From there, things only went downhill and after Fennekin was trounced by a powerful Psybeam and knocked down._

 _But just as it seemed that Fennekin was down for the count, Fennekin's Ability, Blaze, kicked in, increasing her Fire-type moves' power while giving her vitality a swift kick. On shaky legs, Fennekin wound up exploiting Vivillon's damaged wing to her advantage and with unorthodox usage of Fire Spin, was able to deliver one last Flame Charge to Vivillon and secure the victory for herself and for her Trainer, much to the surprise of Lori and the girl observing the battle with the assurance that Lincoln would be schooled._

 _Speaking of that girl, once the battle concluded and Bobby was just about to hand off the Bug Badge to Lincoln, as a symbol of his hard-fought victory, she belligerently interjected the handoff, insisting that Lincoln was not worthy of the honor about to be bestowed to him._

 _Now, everyone watches intently as the girl, apparently named Ronnie Anne, pleads her case against the legitimacy of Lincoln's triumph…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9:** Lincoln's Loud Companion

* * *

 _Santalune City Gym. July 1st, 2036. 3:47 PM._

All eyes were drawn to the incensed girl as she headed towards Lincoln and Bobby, her mouth formed in a scowl and her clenched fists looking to take aim a certain eleven-year-old Vaniville Town native. No one made a move to intercede her movements, especially Lincoln, who wanted nothing more than an explanation as to her harsh objection, even more than instant refuge from this girl's imminent downpour of fury.

"Ronnie Anne?" Bobby asked loudly, halting the girl's angry strides when she was a few feet away from them. "Ronnie Anne, what's the meaning of this?"

"I should be the one asking you that question!" she fired back "What do you think you're doing giving out our Bug Badge to this…to this…"

Her finger stabbed angrily through the air as she pointed towards a befuddled Lincoln.

"Lame-O?!"

"Lame…O?" Lincoln retorted weakly, acting more confused than hurt.

The insult got Bobby, who had been passively taking in the situation, to assertively interject as he glared softly at Ronnie Anne.

"Ronnie Anne, what's gotten into you? Why're you acting like this? Lincoln won. You saw it, didn't you?"

She stomped the ground roughly, clouds of dust and dirt flying every which way. To Lincoln, it was reminiscent of what Lola would do whenever she was throwing one of her signature temper tantrums but in this case, even though he thought that Ronnie Anne was in the wrong for thinking that he didn't deserve the Bug Badge, he thought that the reason behind her ire deserved more respect than that of bratty whining.

In those cases, Lola was pouty and indignant. This girl named Ronnie Anne, however? Her seething breaths and glowering eyes evoked the personification of spite and vengeance.

And _he_ was the target of those emotions.

"The only thing I saw was a fluke!" Ronnie Anne shouted. "There's no way you should've got even one of your Pokémon knocked out by that weakling!"

Lincoln noticed her shift her finger towards the creature he was precariously holding in arms. Kindles of indignation kindled in his gut all at once, coaxing him to scowl at Ronnie Anne despite the danger that such a gesture would present.

Having caught onto the insult herself, Fennekin, despite her pain, let out a few pained growls herself.

"Weakling?!" Lincoln bellowed, causing the girl to spin around and unflinchingly return serve.

"You heard me!"

Now within her sights, Ronnie Anne marched over to the boy, and despite his cautious, pragmatic senses telling him to flee and/or apologize for his defiance, Lincoln stood his ground, determined not to be intimidated.

If she wanted to insult him or even disparage his victory as a fluke, then he would take it in stride. But after everything that she had done to win, no one was going to get away with calling his Fennekin a weakling on his watch.

When she was finally in his personal space, Lincoln kept his feet planted and his frown firm, all while Ronnie Anne got up in his face, her searing, spewing breath scorching his skin as her diatribe threatened to drown him in its potent malice.

"Bobby's been beating Trainers left and right all day and they all had the sense to bring at least two Pokémon with them! You waltz in here with just one and you expect me to believe that you defeating Bobby should be anything _but_ a fluke?!"

"Well, I…"

The gears in Lincoln's head stopped spinning and despite everything, he found himself considering her words. When she put it like that, maybe…maybe she had a point. Although Lincoln knew to be careful about Bobby, thanks to Clyde, that didn't mean that he was objectively well-prepared. To an unbiased perspective, Lincoln was a fool in every sense of the word and upon further scrutiny, an _arrogant_ fool. It was no wonder he was the underdog in that match, not just because of Bobby's strength and experience but because of his willingness to battle a Gym Leader with a numerical handicap.

And seeing as how he had only been training for about a month or so, it wouldn't be the hastiest thing in the world to assume that somehow, Lincoln truly had gotten lucky and came out with a win that he didn't deserve.

His consideration and defeated body language prompted Ronnie Anne to back away slightly and smirk triumphantly.

"Thought so. At least you're not incompetent enough to realize that you shouldn't be earning this Bug Badge for that fluke of yours."

The smirk melted away and her frown took root once more, causing a downtrodden Lincoln to shrink away slightly.

"This is the Santalune City Gym. This isn't a stepping stone for novices like you to spit on our good name with lucky breaks. I don't care what anyone says; you're not worthy of the Bug Badge or facing Bobby ever again. So, why don't you do us all a favor and scram?"

With everything that had been said, Lincoln could only hold tighter to Fennekin for purchase. He tried desperately to stay afloat as Ronnie Anne's harsh, wince-inducing words threatened to submerge him in self-doubt. Every plea to his mind to shut her out and deem her words as baseless tripe…it wasn't working.

Suddenly, for the first time in a while, all he knew was retreat and as Lincoln made a move to walk out, that was what he intended to do. He didn't bother looking over at Clyde or anyone else for that matter. He just wanted to embrace the shame of his fluke by himse-

"Fenne…kin."

Lincoln froze. That tone just now…it wasn't anything like Lincoln had ever heard from Fennekin before. Although he wasn't quite literate in "Pokéspeak", he at least prided himself in discerning tone behind his Fennekin's discourse.

 _Scolding._

That was the only thing Lincoln could describe it as and as he gazed down at his wounded friend, he was disheartened to see that that was an accurate estimation. As it turned out, Fennekin was disappointed in him…or at the very least, troubled that Lincoln would act like this in the face of objection.

And as Lincoln looked over the bruises and wounds splattered on the canvas of Fennekin's worn-out body, he too, began to loathe how easily he backed out from Ronnie Anne's words.

And once again, it all came down to the fact that he valued Fennekin as a friend and as a creature full of the potential to help his ambitions become a reality.

He found his grit and center once more and looking over his shoulder, his blazing eyes, along with his words, demonstrated just how done he was with being pushed around by her.

"No."

* * *

Ever the observer, Lori smiled proudly. Thankfully, the scene in front of her hadn't ended on a bad note. Otherwise, she'd have to once again, consider Lincoln's worth.

' _Good on you, Lincoln. Stand up for yourself. Own your victory. Don't let anyone push you around.'_

* * *

"What was that?!"

Lincoln's whole body spun around and along with Fennekin, glared at Ronnie Anne's stupefied but ever angry face, which was now trembling under repression.

"You heard me. I'm not going anywhere," he countered boldly.

When Ronnie Anne could do nothing but gawk in shock, Lincoln continued.

"You can insult me all you want. I don't care if you call me a novice and I certainly don't care if you want to say that I beat Bobby because of a fluke. Maybe you're right. Maybe I did get lucky. But guess what? I don't care. I'm not going to ignore the fact that even with luck, my Fennekin fought with everything she had and won. I'm not going to walk away from that just because your feelings got hurt."

Heading towards Bobby with one goal in mind, Lincoln swelled with pride in how Ronnie Anne's composure was cracking under his defiance.

"That Badge means a lot more than just the fact that I beat Bobby," Lincoln continued calmly as he drank in Ronnie Anne's jittery scowl. "It's a sign that my Fennekin and I got through a struggle that no one thought we had a shot at winning and we proved them all wrong. So, if you think that I'm just going to 'scram' from that, you're out of your mind."

Though a pang of nervous threatened to make him lurch out his lunch once he was by Ronnie Anne's side once more, Lincoln buried any signs of it as he unclipped his Pokéball and returned the injured Fennekin back in her capsule. With his hands free, he put it back on his belt before motioning for Bobby to unfurl his fist and reveal the Badge that he had tucked away. When he did, his hand slowly but surely inched towards his prize.

"So, no thanks. I'm not going anywhere until I get my Bug Badge. So, if you'll excuse m-"

His wrist was caught roughly by Ronnie Anne's intercepting grasp. Without a chance to retaliate or defend himself, her hand tightened, eliciting pain from the vice grip that she had locked in. Lincoln winced and immediately looked up to see Ronnie Anne with her head lowered far enough for the look on her face to not be easily discerned, though Lincoln didn't need an obvious hint to know what Ronnie Anne was feeling right now.

"Trying to be cool, huh?" she asked lowly.

Before Lincoln could say anything, he squeaked in surprise when Ronnie Anne's head lifted, revealing her simmering, fuming eyes boring holes into him. If looks could kill, he felt that he could've been burned to a crisp.

Apparently, though, she felt that her other fist, which was reeled back and ready to aim towards him, would suffice instead of a heated glare.

"Let's see how cool you look with a broken nose!"

With no way out, Lincoln shut his eyes, tightening his quivering body in preparation for the crushing blow.

"Let me go, Bobby! This moron needs to be taught a lesson!"

The weight of dread lifted slowly but surely from Lincoln's shoulders at the loud objection to Ronnie Anne's apparent imprisonment. He opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief at what he found. Although her hand was still crushing his wrist, her much more offensive hand was caught by one of Bobby's and pulled back until it was dangling above her head. Her struggling and squirming did nothing but fester her annoyance at being unable to escape.

"No, Ronnie Anne, _you're_ the one who needs to learn," Bobby reprimanded irritably.

"Me?! I'm not the one who's about to hand out one of our Bug Badges to a fluke!" Ronnie Anne shot back.

Thankfully for Lincoln, Ronnie Anne had decided that one hand was better than none and released Lincoln from her wrist hold to use that hand to try and pry herself free. Bobby was having none of that, however, and before Ronnie Anne could do anything else, found herself spun around until she was grabbed from behind around her waist with the hand that wasn't holding down her fist.

"Let…me…g-"

"Ronalda."

At once, Ronnie Anne stopped, her burning ardor dying into a kindling ember as her body limply stayed in place. Lincoln had no idea whether it was Bobby calling her "Ronalda" or if his authoritarian tone did the trick in making her stop wanting to violently tear his face off but it worked nonetheless and that was what he was thankful for the most.

Meanwhile, Bobby, who had Ronnie Anne's undivided attention, kept a firm hold on the girl.

"You said it yourself, Lincoln came in here with just one Pokémon and beat both of mine. Now, you can say that it's a fluke all you want but you're way off if you think that's true. In Pokémon battles, there's no such thing as flukes. That's just an excuse that sore losers use when they don't know their own Pokémon's capabilities and then get mad whenever things don't go their way."

Lincoln noted Ronnie Anne's submissive body language and Bobby's doting, somewhat intimate hold and wondered if perhaps, there was more to their relationship than they knew. Other than that, he had a lot to consider from what Bobby had just said.

For now, though, what interested him was after the pause in his address, Bobby's face had soured into one of disappointment.

"And I'm disappointed that you'd think like a sore loser."

Ronnie Anne's lip quivered and her nose twitched. With his experience with three younger sisters, Lincoln could tell that those were the universal, telltale signs of incoming waterworks. Sure enough, her eyes became misted under a crystal clear, reflective sheen of tears, though that never slipped out.

"But…b-but I…" Ronnie Anne croaked weakly and when words failed her, her head bowed in defeat.

Bobby let her go, though his hands shifted from her waist to loosely grasp her shoulders.

"I can't have sore losers running this Gym, Ronnie Anne. If you can't see how wrong you are in this, then I can't have you taking over as Gym Leader after I'm done."

Suddenly, without warning, Ronnie Anne bolted away, running towards the back exit as fast as her legs could carry her. Lincoln, despite everything, felt compelled to run after her to comfort her out of a mixture of pity and curiosity for what had led Ronnie Anne to act this way towards him to begin with.

Bobby looked on and sighed wearily, shaking his head as Ronnie Anne retreated out of sight once she swung the exit door open and slammed it harshly behind her. Turning to Lincoln, Bobby's smile returned, though Lincoln could tell that it was a labored effort after everything that had just happened.

"I'm sorry about the way my little sister acted, Lincoln," he said to him.

Lincoln's eyebrows nearly flew off his head at the reveal. Now that he thought about it, she did look like she could be related to Bobby but…but still, she and Bobby were brother and sister?

' _Little sister? You could've fooled me. She's, like, the complete opposite of Bobby,'_ Lincoln thought rather than said, not wanting to sound rude.

The complete opposite…hold on, that sounded a lot like…like…

' _Then again, Lola and Lana are the opposite of each other and they're sisters.'_

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Bobby hand him something. He looked down and sure enough, it was the Bug Badge. Not wanting to let it slip away after everything that he had just went through, Lincoln slipped in his pocket as Bobby spoke to him.

"With that, you can challenge the Gym Leader in Cyllage City."

Lincoln grinned. "Thanks, Bobby."

The Gym Leader shook his head humbly.

"Nah, bro, thank you. I haven't had a battle like that in a while."

Not knowing what else to say to that, Lincoln made a move to leave but Bobby stopped him with a question.

"Say, you and your buddy aren't planning on leaving Santalune City soon, are you?"

Lincoln considered the question and found that, yes, he was going to leave soon. He didn't have any reason to stick around except to take Fennekin to a Pokémon Center and have her healed from the battle but other than that, what reason did he have to stay? Though, if Lincoln didn't know any better, he had a feeling that Bobby was asking him that because he was sorry to see him go. If that was the case, though, Lincoln would have to let him down gently.

"Well…not really," Lincoln said sheepishly, "but I'm trying to get all eight Kalos Gym Badges as quickly as possible before next year's Lumiose Conference."

Bobby chuckled. "That right? Well, I say you're making pretty good time considering that you're the first person in the entire Kalos region to have earned the Bug Badge since this year's Conference ended."

A feeling of longing burned in Lincoln's chest, causing his heart to palpate achingly. His frown raised concern in Bobby, who asked, "Something wrong?"

Lincoln just sulked further.

"Well…not really," he said. "It's just that every year, ever since I could remember, I'd watch the Lumiose Conference on my computer via streaming but I wound up missing the whole thing this year because of my training."

Without missing a beat, Bobby's face brightened and he put and arm around Lincoln's shoulders in comfort.

"Hey, I've got a great idea, Lincoln. Why don't you and your friend stop by at my place tonight for dinner? I can tell you all about it and show you all the highlights. Think of it as an apology for the way my sis treated you."

Lincoln mulled it over a bit and decided that yeah, that actually sounded pretty cool. Not only would he and Clyde get to eat without spending any money but he could watch the Lumiose Conference highlights and keep up with the professional scene like he always tried to do before he set off to become the Champion.

Looking over to Clyde, who was still sitting at his spot on the bleachers, Lincoln queried, "Is that okay with you, Clyde?"

"Is Lori gonna be there?" Clyde asked hopefully, his eyes twinkling with anticipation.

"Hey, Lori," Bobby called to Lori, "are you gonna be there?"

"Yes," Lori answered loudly, "Yes, I will but only if he's literally sitting at the farthest point of the dinner table from where I'll be."

"It matters not how far I must stay separated from my Lori dearest," Clyde said, undeterred by Lori's demand. "What matters is that I have the honor of occupying the same vicinity as her."

With the arrangement set, Lincoln knew that he only had one thing left to do before he could go anywhere with Bobby.

"Sounds good to me but in the meantime, I think I'm gonna check Fennekin into the Pokémon Center. You really did a number on her."

Bobby flashed a hangdog grin while he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, uh, sorry about that."

Lincoln replied with a sly smirk.

"Not to worry. After all, she won, didn't she?"

* * *

 _After giving Fennekin's care over to the Santalune City Pokémon Center staff, Lincoln, Clyde, and Lori are welcomed into Bobby's humble abode, a room in one of the cities apartment complexes._

 _Once there, Lincoln is posed a very important question by Bobby: "What better way to celebrate the victory against a Kalos Gym Leader than a pizza buffet?" In Lincoln Loud's mind, none at all._

 _After the pizzas arrive, Lincoln enjoys himself to the variety bestowed upon him but in the back of his mind, a certain ponytailed girl occupies his thoughts._

 _It doesn't help that she glares at him while he eats…_

* * *

 _Santalune Apartment Complex: Room #463. July 1st, 2036. 7:14 PM_

Lincoln nervously bit into his sixth slice of pepperoni pizza, looking from side to side between Clyde and Ronnie Anne, who were watching him from their seats at the dinner table.

It had been like this for the past half an hour or so. When the pizzas finally came, Lincoln and Clyde dug in with abandon while Lori and Bobby excused themselves to step out and hit the town for a bit. Before they left, Bobby promised to show Lincoln the Lumiose Conference highlights when he came back. While they did that, Lincoln excused himself from the feast to quickly call up his family via Holo Caster and tell them the exciting news about his Santalune City Gym win. His parents, Lana, and Lily were the one people present when he called since according to his mother, Lola was sick in bed and couldn't get up to greet him. After the nearly ten-minute conversation came to an ended, which was punctuated by his father's over-the-top appraisal of his accomplishment, Lincoln went back to the dining room and upon returning, discovered that a certain pony-tailed girl had dropped by and was glaring at him while Clyde looked at her sideways in fright.

Ever since that tense, awkward confrontation, all Lincoln did was silently and slowly eat his food while Ronnie Anne glared at him and Clyde silently begged him to diffuse the situation. Once Lincoln swallowed his bite of pizza, he tried his best to do just that, though he was certain that at best, he'd wind up in the hospital for his efforts.

"Did you…uh…want this slice?" Lincoln stammered. "'C-cause if you do, I don't care if you have it instead of me."

Ronnie Anne just continued to stare him down. Lincoln wondered if she enjoyed the fright that she induced in him.

"So…ummmm…how's life been for ya in Santalune City?" he inquired, trying to find traction with a hopefully peaceful chat. "Lots of great weather, I'm sure."

His dull conversation starter only prompted the girl to frown wider and Lincoln did everything he could not to tear his hair out. This was needlessly nerve-wrecking! What the heck did she want from him?! To savagely beat him to a pulp?! Then why not just do it and get it out of the way already?! Was she apprehensive because of Clyde being there and she was worried that he'd snitch to someone and land her in trouble?!

If that was the case, Lincoln needed Clyde to get out of the way without Ronnie Anne knowing what he was up to. If she wanted to kill him (metaphorically speaking, if he was lucky), then he just wanted her to get it over with already.

Lincoln sat his pizza down on the white plate in front of him and turned to Clyde, whose chattering teeth did nothing to quell the tension that was thick in the room.

"Hey, Clyde? Do you mind checking in on Fennekin for me?" Lincoln asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

Clyde's teeth mercifully froze mid chatter and in its wake of its absence, erected a gesture that made Lincoln nervous; an arched eyebrow. He'd have to do better to mask the smell of his baloney for next time and that was if Ronnie Anne would afford him a next time.

"I guess I can," Clyde retorted confusedly, "but why do you need me to do that for you?"

"Just do me a solid, okay?" Lincoln replied quickly.

Years of a tightly-knit friendship was enough for Clyde to see that Lincoln was doing his best to get him to leave.

He obliged with a hasty nod, not needing an excuse to retreat if it meant that he had a considerable distance from Ronnie Anne.

"Sure thing," Clyde said as he got up from his chair. "I'll call you in case they need you down there in person."

With that, Clyde made a mad dash for the door. Ronnie Anne didn't bother looking at him while he did; she was too focused with Lincoln and the way he squirmed in his seat at her deathly stare and hostile appearance.

When Lincoln heard the door shut, he made his move. Clasping his hands together and setting them on the table, Lincoln stated, "Welp, we're all alone now."

Ronnie Anne just rolled her eyes at the observation and despite the sarcastic gesture, Lincoln was thrilled. It definitely beat him shaking in his shoes from her glaring.

"Gee, thanks for pointing out the obvious," she replied dryly. "Not like I couldn't see that for myself or anything."

Ignoring the quip, Lincoln pressed on.

"So, listen, the reason I sent Clyde away is so that we can talk in private."

His admittance only earned him an indignant sniff.

"Why would I want to do that?" she churlishly posed.

"It's obvious you're still mad about me about earlier," Lincoln explained, "and with the way you've been glaring at me all night, I figured there was something you wanted to say to me or…"

He swallowed the lump in his throat when his mind replayed the scene from earlier from the Gym; the one where she nearly split his face in two with her fist.

" _Do_ to me but couldn't because of everyone else being here. So, whatever it is, just get it over with so that we can both move on."

Ronnie Anne just sighed in annoyance and stood up from her seat. Without saying another word, she walked over to Lincoln. In defiance to his inner voice telling him to beat a hasty retreat and get out of dodge, Lincoln stood up as well and waited for the girl to stand face-to-face with him. It was a confrontation reminiscent to what had transpired between them earlier but Lincoln, at least for now, couldn't care less about self-preservation.

This time, however, instead of stepping back by at least a few good inches, she had her forehead butting against his, the tip of her nose rigidly jutting into his own.

"There you go trying to act cool again. Guess you think you have to be a certain way just because you got lucky?"

Before Lincoln could retort, the girl had his shirt collar in her fists as she pulled him down roughly onto the floor. Lincoln landed on his knees and the sharp pain from the landing paled in comparison to the fear the coursed through his veins as it chilled his spine and made his breath shaky.

"Let's get one thing straight, Lame-O," she growled. "I don't care what my brother or anyone else says. You. Got. Lucky. What happened between you and Bobby was a fluke. And if I had my way, you wouldn't be getting a Bug Badge for that. Not only did you win a battle you had no business even starting in the first place but you spat on our Gym's good name and dragged it through the mud."

Lincoln continued to hyperventilate shallowly, hoping that cutting words were all Ronnie Anne wanted in all of this.

"Do you have any idea what comes to mind when Trainers walk up to our Gym?" she asked, bringing him in closer with a sharp yank.

Lincoln shook his head frantically and prayed that his ignorance wouldn't increase her ire.

Ronnie Anne scoffed. "They think that just because it's the first one they have to beat, that means they're going to get an easy victory. They just look past our strength because of the reputation that they built up for us in their heads. I can see the smugness and arrogance in their eyes whenever they walk up to my brother and lay down a challenge."

All of a sudden, Ronnie Anne released him but Lincoln didn't dare think that he was out of the woods yet, especially with the way she was shaking furiously.

"But then you showed up and you…you…"

She took a step forward with a loud stomp, shaking the floor under the force.

"You were worse than all of them! One Pokémon! Just _one_ of yours beat two of Bobby's best! You shouldn't have gotten away with such disrespect! You shouldn't have earned anything but the biggest beatdown that any of the other Trainers got today because of him!"

By the end of her rant, her seething had subsided into a more manageable level of intimidation, which was enough for Lincoln to rise to his feet, though he wasn't close to believing that she was done.

"Some goofy-looking nimrod like you…beating Bobby. And the first one to do it, at that. It disgusts me that even with luck on your side, you managed to pull it off. I'd knock your silly little lights out and take back the Bug Badge myself but I know that if I do, you'll just go crying to Bobby and we'll be back to square one; with you holding onto something that you don't deserve to have."

Lincoln couldn't believe his luck! He wasn't going to get creamed, after all! And by the sounds of it, she wasn't going to take his Bug Bade away, either! It was a miracle! He was in the clear! He was…

"So, I've been thinking about it for a bit and I've come up with the perfect solution to make everything right."

He was trying his best not to shout out "Dang it!" at how close he was to making an easy getaway from this deranged, violent girl!

Smiling forcibly, Lincoln asked, "And…uh…w-what plan is that, exactly?"

"You're planning on getting the other seven Kalos Badges, right? Along with your friend?"

Lincoln nodded and he nearly swallowed his tongue when she…smiled at him. It wasn't a sunny, happy smile (hers was quite frightening and epitomized bad intentions) but still, a smile was a smile and Lincoln didn't think she was capable of those.

"Good," she replied.

Okay, this was something that Lincoln had to get to the bottom of. Sure, Ronnie Anne's plan hadn't really interested him when she first declared it but it clearly involved him and his next seven objectives.

"Why is that good?" Lincoln retorted.

Ronnie Anne just guffawed wickedly.

"You'll see when everyone comes back."

Moving past him, Ronnie Anne swiped the pizza slice that he had put down earlier.

"I was gonna eat that!" Lincoln cried, watching helplessly as Ronnie Anne took a slow, agonizingly antagonistic chomp as she relished in Lincoln's soft whimpering.

Was this because he had offered it to her earlier? He didn't mean it! He was just trying to be nice to not get beaten up, for crying out loud!

Ronnie Anne finished off the rest of it with another bite, swallowing down her pilfered meal with a loud swallow. She followed up the hostile expression by smirking devilishly.

"Too bad. I just did. Gonna do something about it other than cry?"

She reaped in a defeated sigh and a shake of the head for her query. She laughed brutishly in triumph.

"Thought so," she snorted and helped herself to the rest of the pizza, not caring in the slightest what Lincoln's plans for them were.

* * *

 _50 minutes later…_

Bobby, Clyde, and Lori all returned around the same time. Apparently, after Clyde had checked up on Fennekin's progress, he had been caught stalking the young couple on their romantic outing and once discovered by Lori, it took Bobby every ounce of strength in him to hold Lori back as she made a move to clobber Clyde into the pavement. With their date ruined, Bobby and Lori, along with Clyde, headed back to Bobby's apartment.

Once there, they were asked to assemble in the living room by Ronnie Anne. After doing so, Ronnie Anne presented herself to her audience as she stood in front of the widescreen living room television while the others took their seats on the couch.

"Alright, Nie Nie. You have the floor. What's on your brain?" Bobby asked cordially.

Ronnie Anne huffed in embarrassment and folded her arms.

"Don't call me that in front of strangers, Roberto!" she snapped, her cheeks red.

"Sorry," her brother said timidly as she sank back in his seat.

Lincoln held back a snicker, not wanting to get on the receiving end of Ronnie Anne's wrath. Instead of doing that, he just stared blankly at her before she divulged them.

"Anyways, so, I've had a lot of time to…reflect on what you told me earlier today," Ronnie Anne said, her focus entirely on Bobby. "I realize that I have a lot of growing up to do. I've been training and working my butt off to fill your shoes one day but right now, I'm not ready. And so, after a lot of consideration, I've decided that it'd be for the best…"

She suddenly pointed to Lincoln and Clyde, who were sitting side-by-side and flinched at the gesticulation.

"If I tagged along with those two while Lincoln tries to get the other Badges!"

Instantly, the boy's jaws dropped, nearly hanging off the hinge as they cried out an exasperated "What?!"

Lori just sat back indifferently, not really caring much for the news at all.

Bobby, on the other hand, just creased his eyebrows in disapproval.

"Um, Ronnie Anne?" he asked.

Ronnie Anne smiled cutely and fluttered her eyebrows uncharacteristically.

"Yes, dear brother of mine?" she squeaked.

Her façade shattered when Bobby, who was not taken aback not fooled by the display, pointed towards the door and told her, "We're gonna have a little talk outside in the hallway."

Sensing trouble, Ronnie Anne sighed and made her way to where Bobby wanted while he followed closely behind her.

As the two departed, Lori turned to the now catatonic boys and declared, "Yeah, I'm just gonna go watch some TV. I have control of the remote, by the way, so don't even bother asking for it."

She reached to her left to grab the remote but stopped herself mid-motion. She spun around to them once more, her eyes squinting and her scowl as prominent as ever.

"Oh, and don't you think about trying to read my texts while I have my Holo Caster down. I know how nosey you kids can be and unless you want a fist-sized lump on your noggin, you'll leave well enough alone."

About thirty seconds passed until Clyde finally made a move and Lincoln found himself pulled in by his collar once again as Clyde grabbed him, pulled him in close, and shouted, "What did you say to her when I was gone?!"

* * *

With her back against the wall next to their apartment door, Ronnie Anne tried to act casual and stoic under the heat of Bobby's simmering, speculative gaze. It wasn't an easy task, given that he was standing over her.

"Alright, Ronnie Anne, what's this all about?" he queried tersely.

Ronnie Anne shrugged loftily.

"What's what all about?"

She felt her stomach tie in knots when Bobby leaned closer.

"Oh, I don't know, how about that bomb you just dropped on all of us just now?"

She smiled instinctively, feigning indifference to the implications of her plan that had apparently made Bobby so high strung.

"Bomb? What's so explosive about what I said?"

"You're thinking about moving away from home to follow Lincoln around Kalos. Sounds pretty explosive to me."

The girl stuffed her hands into her hoodie pocket to hide how shaky they were getting. Bobby never grilled her this harshly before but beyond her hands, her act remained as convincing as ever (at least, in her mind).

"Okay, hold the phone. First of all, I'm not "following" him. That's, like, the _opposite_ of what I'm doing. If anything, he'd be following _my_ lead. Second, what's the big deal? You left home to train so you could get strong enough to beat the last Gym Leader for his spot. What's so wrong about me doing the same? I just wanna get stronger."

"I wouldn't have a problem with any of that if what you told me didn't come out of nowhere."

"What's so "out of nowhere" about it?"

"You never expressed any desire to do this before we met Lincoln. Now, all of a sudden, you want to travel around Kalos? Practically by yourself?"

It was the fear in his tone that made Ronnie Anne loosen up and unshroud her real disposition in all of this. The mask she was putting on wasn't worth it if Bobby was going to act so freaked out, especially since it meant that she wasn't going to get what she wanted.

"Ronalda, what's going on? What're you really up to?"

There it was again. Ronalda. Her real birth name. She hated it and knew that he knew that she hated it. He'd only do it to get her attention but now, Ronnie Anne knew that he wanted more than answers and they all concerned her little sister's well-being. She'd chide herself for being stupid if she wans't in the hot seat right now.

Gulping nervously, Ronnie Anne released her hands from their prison and used them to reach out and hug Bobby as her face pressed into his abdomen.

"I…I wanna see what that guy's really made of, Bobby."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you…what you said about flukes and stuff, yeah, it sounded pretty and all but I don't believe it. I've, more or less, accepted that Lincoln has the Bug Badge but still…"

She found the courage to look up at him and upon seeing his perturbed face, wish that she hadn't.

"I can't let someone like him slip away without me seeing what he can really do when luck's not on his side. And besides, you're wrong about one thing; I _have_ been thinking about leaving home for training for a while. It's just that Lame-O…"

His grunt of displeasure coaxed her to correct herself.

"Er, Lincoln has given me another reason to do it. If what you're saying is true, and he really is just that good, then again, I have to know _how_ good he is."

His inquisitive features never faltered. He _knew_ she hadn't come completely clean yet.

"Is that all there is to it?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Ronnie Anne swallowed and shook her head.

"I also want to be sure that he doesn't go around sullying our Gym's rep by getting clowned by every Tom, Dick, and Harry out there, y'know? He's gonna have to accept the responsibility of defeating you and I'll make sure that he does."

In a move that took her by surprise, Bobby smoothed his hand into her hair, tangling his fingers in her hair.

"Ronalda, you can't just have Lincoln living by your imposed standards. That's incredibly selfish and petty."

Expecting to get chewed out further, Ronnie Anne just stood by and waited, waited for everything to just implode in her face.

"But all the same, if this is what you really want to do then…"

Huh?

That smile…that tone…it couldn't be? Could it?

"I suppose I can allow it."

Without thinking, she jumped up excitedly and Bobby grabbed onto her and caught her.

"Seriously?!" she asked as Bobby brought her even closer until they were pressed together cheek-to-cheek.

"Seriously," he affirmed. "I think you're underestimating what someone like Lincoln is capable of. Tagging along with him might just be the experience that you need to mature into the role of a Gym Leader. Of course, you'll have to make sure that they're okay with it."

Ronnie Anne would've frowned at his reasoning if she wasn't so excited. She didn't care much for how Bobby was defending Lincoln but if this meant that she got a chance to hone her skills while keeping that Lame-O in check, that would be all worth it.

"Thanks, big brother!" she squealed.

Bobby chuckled. "Don't mention it, Nie Nie."

* * *

Things within the walls of Bobby's humbled abode, however, were not so serene. Deciding to step away into the kitchen while Lori watched TV, Lincoln and Clyde whispered loudly at each other in a panic. They did not expect for Ronnie Anne to do that.

"This is not, I repeat, _not_ okay, Lincoln!"

"You don't have to tell me that! There's no way we can let her come with us!"

"What did you tell her?!"

"For the last time, Clyde, I didn't tell her anything!"

"It must've been _something_!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't say anything to her?! She just acted that way because…"

Lincoln paused to reflect for a moment. Had Ronnie Anne told her why she wanted to do this? Not as far as he could tell. In fact, he specifically remembered her telling him:

" _You'll see when everyone comes back."_

Now it all made sense. She wanted this to be a bombshell that caught them off their guard. But then…it still didn't make much sense, which is why Lincoln said, "Well, I don't really know why she wants to come with us. I thought she hated me."

"Me too."

"I mean, why would she want to come along with us if she…"

A thought came to him in that instant and once more, it had everything to do with what Ronnie Anne had told him.

"Wait a second," Lincoln said. "I remember Ronnie Anne asking me if I was going to get the other seven Kalos Badges. As soon as I nodded, she told me that she had an idea that she was going to let everyone know about once you all got here."

"Did she tell you why she had that idea?"

Lincoln frowned. "Nope. She just stole my pizza."

Speaking of which, ever since Ronnie Anne had left him to wallow over his missed pizza, he was also left with an invitation to speculate Ronnie Anne's motives. He was curious to know what Ronnie Anne could want with him and maybe…maybe if he actually allowed her to come along with them, he'd be able to figure it out.

There was only one problem, though, and it was standing aside him.

' _I hope you won't be too angry with me, Clyde.'_

"Clyde, I know you're going to hate me for this but…I think we should let her join us."

Clyde's eyes nearly broke through the lens of his glasses as they bugged out of his skull.

"Are you mad?!" he shouted, this time, not bothering to keep his voice in a whisper.

Lincoln couldn't help but laugh. When it came to doing things with a dramatic flair, no one beat Clyde. Even Lola could learn a thing or two from him in that department.

"No, but you clearly are," Lincoln joked, hoping to pacify his friend.

Needless to say, it didn't work.

"This is no time for jokes, Loud!" Clyde shouted. "Have you forgotten what we're supposed to be doing?!"

Despite his friend's volatile animation, Lincoln tried staying level-headed to assure Clyde that everything would be fine.

"I haven't forgotten, Clyde, but how does Ronnie Anne joining up with us prevent that from happening?"

"She's a wild card, Lincoln! You have no idea what she wants or why she does what she wants! She's unreasonable, scary, vengeful, scary, and above all else, TERRIFYINGLY SCARY!"

"Look, Clyde, I get where you're coming from, I really do, but still…I don't think it'd hurt if we just…I dunno, let her stick around for just a little bit. Like you said, she hates me. She wouldn't want to travel with us, away from her family and her home, if she didn't have a good reason. Besides, it's not like we're imposing on her. If she gets fed up with us, she'll just leave."

Lincoln looked on in relief as Clyde seemed to consider his argument and he couldn't see why he wouldn't. After all, Ronnie Anne didn't seem like the person to get dragged about by anyone. If they were a burden to her, she wouldn't stick around.

After a few seconds, Clyde relented, though Lincoln could tell that he still had his doubts about the whole thing.

"Well…I suppose you have a point. Okay, Lincoln, I'll accept these new arrangements as long as you promise to do me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Make sure that she stays on _your_ side of the campsite."

"Deal."

* * *

 _After the boys decided to accept Ronnie Anne's proposal, they stayed in Santalune City's Pokémon Center for two days, waiting for their new traveling partner to meet up with them by the city's exit in the early afternoon of July 3rd, just as Bobby and Ronnie Anne agreed to..._

* * *

 _Santalune City. July 3rd, 2036. 1:54 PM._

It had been about two hours since Lincoln and Clyde decided to check out of the Pokémon Center and wait by the city's exit gate. Ever since Ronnie Anne was allowed to tag along with the duo, Bobby had given them his number so that he could reach out to them while they waited for Ronnie Anne to get ready.

According to the Holo Caster call from Bobby, that Lincoln received some time in the morning, she'd be by their side at around 12:00 PM but as time dragged on and on, that didn't look like that was plausible anymore.

"What's taking her so long? I didn't think she was the type to get all gussied up like Lola always does," Lincoln grumbled to Clyde, who was gazing up the sky absentmindedly.

"Maybe she's decided not to go through with it anymore," Clyde replied.

"Pretty sure Bobby would've called me if that were true," Lincoln retorted, sighing irritably as he adjusted his red hat to fit more snuggly around his head.

Admittedly, he had been somewhat of a nervous wreck ever since he got that call from Bobby. Although everything happening today ultimately came down to his approval of Ronnie Anne's company, that didn't mean that he wasn't apprehensive about the arrangement. Though he didn't know the girl for that long, Lincoln thought that she came across as the reliable, headstrong type; the kind of person that didn't need to be looked after. That meant that to Lincoln, he didn't have to worry about Ronnie Anne landing into any kind of danger, which was great because, despite her abrasiveness, he hated the idea of seeing her get hurt, especially since she clearly meant the world to Bobby.

The problem, however, was that if anything, Ronnie Anne _would_ be the danger. She was churlish, hot-tempered, and, from the instance of her nearly caving his face in after he had beaten Bobby two days ago, prone to violent outbursts at the slightest provocation.

Meanwhile, Clyde, who was just as impatient as Lincoln, started kicking around some nearby pebbles at his feet to pass the time.

"Or maybe she got grounded forever and has to stay at home for the rest of her life," he said with hope lacing his enthusiastic tone.

"Clyde," Lincoln chided lightly, knowing that Clyde was prone to spiraling fits of delusion if he wasn't kept in check.

"Or maybe she got caught stealing and got arrested by the authorities."

" _Clyde._ "

"Or maybe she got kidnapped by a wild Druddigon."

He earned a light slap in the back of the head for that one, getting Clyde to yelp and rub the sore spot gingerly.

"Clyde, seriously, knock it off," Lincoln said while glaring.

Sure, Ronnie Anne was far from the nicest person on the planet but no one deserved that happening to them.

"What? A guy can be hopeful, can't he?" Clyde queried in a low mumble, puffing his cheeks in a pout.

Lincoln rolled his eyes while shaking his head in reprimand.

"There's being hopeful and then there's just being mean."

The bespectacled boy let out a dry laugh.

"No, _Ronnie Anne_ is mean. _I'm_ hopefully optimistic."

"More like hopelessly clueless," a familiar voice said right next to his ear.

Clyde instinctively hopped in the air in a frightened panic and ran to Lincoln in a hurry.

"AAACK!" he shrieked and took shelter behind Lincoln, shaking like a lone autumn leaf hanging on a branch in the crispy, chilly wind.

Lincoln hid his previous irritation quickly with a small smile, not wanting their new interloper to get the impression that he was angry at her.

Well, he was for making he and Clyde wait for so long but that didn't mean that, for his sake, that Ronnie Anne had to know that.

"See, I told you she was mean! And scary!" Clyde squealed, peering over Lincoln's shoulder and cautiously looking back at the new arrival.

While Clyde feared for his life, Lincoln took quick notice of Ronnie Anne's visage.

Gone was her hoodie and shorts combo. Now, she had on a light purple short-sleeved T-shirt, blue cargo pants, and black sandals. On top of that, she had a large pink backpack, similar to the one that hikers wore on their climbing expeditions, slung over her back. Pink was an odd choice in Lincoln's mind, given Ronnie Anne's tomboyish vibes, but he wasn't going to question the selection to her face.

Not if he wanted to keep all his teeth in his mouth.

"I prefer "assertive"," Ronnie Anne replied, smirking in relish to Clyde's clutching fear.

Lincoln chuckled weakly, wanting to bring levity into the atmosphere for the sake of getting everyone off on the right foot. This wasn't their first meeting, sure, but that didn't mean that things couldn't be better them on the first day of their travel.

In an ironic twist, it was Ronnie Anne's turn to act impatient. She rested her hands on her hips and frowned expectantly.

"Well, we gonna hit the road or not?"

A stunned Lincoln could only reply with, "Do you have any idea where we're going?"

He had looked over his map with Clyde last night and picked out the only feasible route they could go if they wanted to get to Cyllage City but that didn't mean that Ronnie Anne had any clue about where they would be going.

"Duh," Ronnie Anne barked sharply. "You're going to Cyllage City for your next Badge; not that you'll get it but whatever. The only way to get there, without using the monorail system, is if we go through Route 4 to Lumiose City, go to Route 5, enter Camphrier Town, travel on Route 7, walk through Connecting Cave, and finally, reach Cyllage City."

Lincoln reeled back in amazement. That was exactly the journey he had discussed with Clyde! Maybe…maybe having Ronnie Anne as a travel companion wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, after all!

"You seem to have a pretty good idea about where we're going," Lincoln said with a grin. "I'm impressed."

His remark, to his confusion and panging anxiety, only made Ronnie Anne's frown grow longer and her eyes narrow in a squint of derision.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, especially if it sounds condescending," she affirmed. "It's not like I would do anything stupid like not consult a map."

"Ronnie Anne!"

The three kids turned around and saw Bobby, accompanied by Lori, running towards them in a bit of a panic. Expecting the worst to come from this unexpected turn of events, they simply stood there and waited until finally, the panting teenagers were with them, holding onto each other for support as they gasped dramatically to fill their burning, aching lungs with oxygen.

"Bobby? What're you doing here?" Lincoln asked, looking on as Bobby shakily reached into his vest.

Without turning to Lincoln, Bobby pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and held it out for Ronnie Anne, who was shrinking back shyly.

"You forgot your map back in your room," Bobby said sheepishly.

Mumbling something that neither of the boys could hear, a red-faced Ronnie Anne gingerly pulled the map out of Bobby's slack grasp.

"T-thanks," she said.

Before she could stuff it away in her pack, Bobby's voice beckoned her attention back to him.

"Oh, and you also left your Trainer License, too. Here you go."

Ronnie Anne felt her cheeks burn even hotter as she saw that, indeed, her Trainer License was now presented to her by her brother, who clearly didn't see that it was important for her to save face by _not_ blurting out her showings of incompetence to the world.

Without a word, she took the license in her other hand and harbored it away in her right pants pocket, ignoring the light snickering she heard from behind her. Clearly, Lincoln and Clyde were having a blast at her expense.

Oh, they would pay for that later.

"Oh, and one more thing…"

' _You've gotta be kidding me!'_ Ronnie Anne thought desperately.

"You left this behind."

Ronnie Anne looked down at what Bobby had in his hand now and…

No. He didn't.

Her jaw clenched and her right eye twitched. She glanced up at Bobby with a snarl, pushing back his hand and the photo that he had in it.

"I left _that_ behind on purpose, Bobby," Ronnie Anne spat, not hiding an ounce of the venom that was seeping through her words.

Nodding with a sad grin, Bobby quickly stuffed the photo back into this pocket while Lincoln and Clyde looked on, wondering what that exchange was all about.

Before Ronnie Anne could further comment on her brother's careless taboo, she was quickly enveloped in a tight hug.

"Well then, I guess this is goodbye."

Ronnie Anne was quick to diffuse the tenderness, giving her brother a hearty slap on the back along with a light chuckle.

"Please, Bobby, no waterworks. I'm not gonna be gone forever."

Her soothing words did little to mollify Bobby's sullenness.

"I know but it's just that…"

Without warning, Bobby released her from the hug and pecked her on the forehead, eliciting a harsh, frustrated groan from his indignant sister.

"You're starting to come into your own, Ronnie Anne. I'm proud of you," Bobby said as he ruffled Ronnie Anne's hair.

She withdrew from his hand by stepping backwards a bit, looking away from him as she stared at the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Enough of the mush," she grumbled.

The demand was met with a knowing smile from her brother, who did nothing else except hold out his fist to her.

"Bye, sis."

Realizing what he was asking for, Ronnie Anne made a fist of her own and lightly tapped it against Bobby's as she smiled back at him.

"Bye, bro."

With his final goodbyes out of the way, Bobby gave his attention to Lincoln and Clyde for the first time since he came by. Now, instead of a warm smile, his face was chiseled in a hardened look of sternness.

"Lincoln? Clyde? Take good care of Ronnie Anne, would you?" he asked.

Lincoln nodded, fully understanding what it was like being a big brother and wanting to know that his younger sisters were safe from harm.

"We will, Bobby. Don't worry. She's in good hands," Lincoln said as he flashed a thumbs-up and smiled.

Ronnie Anne just shook her head at the cheery response.

' _As if,'_ she thought.

Just as she was about to walk over to Lincoln and Clyde, Lori, who had been watching the scene the whole time, chimed in.

"Boo-Boo Bear, you go on ahead if you want. I need to tell Lincoln something."

She was taken aback, but pleased all the same, when Bobby stood his ground, shaking his head to let her know that he'd be by her side until she was finished. Flattered, Lori kissed Bobby on the cheek before she walked over to Lincoln, who was puzzled about what Lori could possibly want with him.

"Well, Lincoln, looks like you'll be heading off now," Lori said as she leaned down until she was at eye-level with the boy. "Since that's the case, then how about I tell you a little bit more about me?"

Before he could blink, Lori leaned in closer until she was right up to the side of Lincoln's face, cupping his ear as she whispered something silently to him. That something caused Lincoln to shockingly fall on his rear as Lori withdrew from him, smiling smugly at his flabbergasted expression.

"Seriously?!" he yelled.

She nodded. "Seriously."

With a trembling arm, Lincoln pointed up at Lori and exclaimed, "Y-you're the Snowbelle City Gym Leader?!"

Ronnie Anne, who wasn't surprised at the news, just sneered at Lincoln's reaction while Clyde looked on at Lori in astonishment and wonder.

"Pretty and skillful," Clyde murmured dazedly. "Will her perfections never cease?"

Lincoln, even as he rose back to his feet, couldn't believe his ears. Not just because Lori, who he assumed as just an ordinary teenager who just so happened to date one of the most powerful Trainers in Kalos, was a Gym Leader herself but because she was out here instead of at her Gym.

"Then what're you doing out here?" Lincoln asked her quizzically. "Shouldn't you be at your Gym?"

Lori sniggered condescendingly, in a way that made Lincoln feel like he committed some faux pas.

"Please, the Gyms just opened a few days ago and my Gym's the last one that Trainers have to challenge. There's no way anyone's gonna be able to burn through the other seven before they get to me so quickly. And even if they do, I have a few protégé's holding down the fort for me in my absence."

Lori adjusted her purse over her shoulder more snugly before she continued.

"Anyways, the only reason I told you who I really am is because I want to give you something to look forward to. I'll be waiting for you in Snowbelle City. You better not be a twerp by the time you reach there. I'd like to think that I've had some effect on you, after all."

With that, Lori grabbed onto Bobby's hand and told him that she was ready to leave when he was. With nothing else left to say, Bobby squeezed her hand softly, wanting comfort in this emotional departure. He looked back at his sister lovingly and waved goodbye. Ronnie Anne reciprocated and watched as her brother and his girlfriend strode off together, basking in their love as they retreated off into the distance.

Meanwhile, Lincoln had nearly teared up, knowing full well what it meant to say goodbye to family. Whenever Clyde wasn't looking, he'd find a hidden, secluded spot to cry, letting out all of his tears and regrets at leaving his family back in Vaniville Town to pursue his dreams. It was a much needed released of emotion that he didn't want tamped down.

And now, hopefully, Ronnie Anne would be there for him, too, having just embraced that type of pain for herself. She wasn't showing it outwardly but he figured that she wasn't cold-hearted enough to not feel a least a tiny twang of longing bubbling inside of her. Perhaps, in time, she would openly express those feelings him and once he did, he hoped he'd have the right words to say to console her as they both lifted each other up. Perhaps, in that way, they could truly start to get to know each other and become friends. It sure as heck beat living in fear of her, not knowing what she wanted or how she'd go about getting what she wanted.

But for now, it was time to move on. The three of them had a long, tough road ahead of them and they wouldn't get anywhere by standing around.

Marching towards the gate, Lincoln looked back at his two traveling partners and said, "Well, gang, let's head out to…"

He trailed off into a stammering mess when, without a hint of gentleness in her strides, Ronnie Anne quickly approached him, her steely scowl keeping him rooted to the ground and mentally praying for mercy. Once she was right up to his face, he felt himself melt under a piercing stare he felt could ward off the fiercest of Hydreigon. Not even Lola could be this scary!

"I have a very long list of rules that the both of you are going to be following from here on out. Rule #1, I take the lead. We clear?"

Without thinking, he nodded. The subservient gesture earned him a rough slap on the shoulder and a grin that sheathed her pride in her ability to gain control of their operation in as little as ten seconds flat.

"Good," she said, her eyebrows furrowed contently.

Once again, his shoulder was patted sharply, causing Lincoln to yowl in pain. His discomfort only got Ronnie Anne to smicker as she pushed past him to stride off towards the exit and the long, outstretching route that trailed off into the horizon.

Rubbing his aching shoulder, Lincoln looked back at Clyde, who shrugged defensively and shot him a look that said, "Hey, don't look at me. _You_ asked for this, remember?"

Lincoln, knowing that Clyde was absolutely right, just sighed and trundled on after Ronnie Anne, who by now, was a good distance away from them.

' _I sure hope I know what I'm getting myself into,'_ Lincoln thought grimly.

* * *

 _In an unexpected turn of events, the duo of two friends has become a trio, consisting of a pair of apprehensive boys and a girl that has no qualms about assuming command of their expedition. What sort of new challenges will present themselves with the volatile Ronnie Anne as a part of this youthful group?_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _will have the answer as the story continues to unfold!_

* * *

 **A/N:** You may or may not like this but I'm going to be taking a break from this story. Believe me, it's for the best. I need some time to come up with new chapters and ideas for how the story is going to play out from here on out. Plus, I want to wrap up with my other stories and the more I focus on this story, the less time I'll have to give them the attention they need. Not to worry, though, the break will be between a month or two. The minute a new chapter is posted, expect for a steady flow of more content to be released before the next break.

Well, 'til then, enjoy yourselves, my faithful readers!


	10. Pan-champing at the Bit!

**A/N:** So, remember how I said that my break was only going to last about two months or so? Yeah, sorry about that. It lasted a little longer than I wanted. But between getting a new job and working on my other stories, I'm sorry to say that the priority of updating this story got pushed back.

If you stick around until the end, I'll give you guys an inkling of the things I have planned for this story moving forward. But for now, get ready for " _Chapter 10: Pan-champing at the Bit!"_

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _**PokéLoud Journeys**_ …

 _Thoroughly convinced that Lincoln's win against Bobby was nothing more than a fluke, Ronnie Anne harshly rebuked Lincoln, demanding that he not only relinquish the Bug Badge but that he leave the Santalune City Gym for good, never to challenge Bobby ever again. Though not entirely reluctant to deny credence to her fluke claim, nonetheless, Lincoln refused to give back the Bug Badge, saying that doing so would spit in the face of all the hard work Fennekin endured in winning it for him._

 _Angered by his resolution, Ronnie Anne was close to escalating the matter with violence until Bobby stepped in, reproaching his little sister for trying to bully Lincoln out of his just reward and for not being a good enough sport to accept defeat, a trait that he said would deny Ronnie Anne the privilege of taking over the Gym after he stepped down._

 _Later that evening, Lincoln and Clyde were taken aback when Ronnie Anne announced her desire to accompany the boys on their journey. Surprisingly, Lincoln accepted the proposal, despite Clyde's protests. Once she got the approval from her older brother, it was safe to say that Lincoln and Clyde's expedition of dreams became much more uncertain, especially since Ronnie Anne elected herself as the leader…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10:** Pan-champing at the Bit!

* * *

 _Route 4. July 3rd, 2036. 3:01 PM._

Route 4 truly was something to behold in Lincoln's opinion. Unlike the previously trodden routes of his journey, there wasn't a lot left to the imagination of just how far Kalos' natural beauty could extend. Sur, he had a small taste of that with Santalune Forest but in comparison to the dense, thicketed environment, Route 4 was much more diverse; bold, gray mountains, calm, sparkling streams, and small grassy plateaus jutted from every which way, though the mountains were much further off in the distance. Not only that but after about a few minutes of traveling, a manmade pathway no longer guided the steps of him and his companions, giving his surroundings the impression that man had not etched their craft into the lush beauty.

Said beauty, combined with Lincoln's present conversation with Clyde, made him almost forget about Ronnie Anne's intrusive and off-putting behavior. Ever since she assumed the role as their leader, a position that Lincoln felt undermined the non-domineering camaraderie that allies _ought_ to have, awkwardness couldn't even begin to describe how the first few minutes of their association went.

After asserting her dominance, she relayed to them more of her ground rules, the most memorable and prominent including that she was entitled to a blissful, uninterrupted sleep (meaning that two certain "lamebrains" better not do anything as stupid as keep her up all night) and that they had better say their prayers if she caught them spying on her while she was changing out of her clothes.

But now, there was only catching up between two best friends, their "leader" trundling along ahead of them by a good few feet. They didn't even care to consider that their conversation might prompt Ronnie Anne to turn around and snap at them for gushing on continually for as long as they had; but the conversation of the results of the Lumiose Conference, a luxury afforded to Lincoln by the promised divulgence of one Bobby Santiago, couldn't be hampered by such fears!

"His name's Miles Bentley, huh?" Clyde asked. "Never heard of him before."

"Me neither but that's because he's a Sinnoh native," Lincoln said, recalling what he had seen from the replays and post-Conference interviews. "Apparently, he's one of Sinnoh's best trainers. After he won the Lily of the Valley Conference for a second time, he was pretty close to becoming the Sinnoh League Champion but he got beaten by the third Elite Four member before he could advance any further. It turn's out he tried his hand at the Lumiose Conference because he wanted a change in scenery."

Clyde hummed thoughtfully. "That guy sounds pretty strong. You might wind up facing him instead of Hugh."

"Maybe," Lincoln said with a shrug. "I guess we'll all see for ourselves once he fights the Elite Four and the Champion in January."

Though he had said that, Lincoln couldn't help but believe more in Hugh than in Miles. A small part was down to regional pride but the other had to do with the evaluation he had for Hugh's abilities for himself. He wouldn't have called himself the world's biggest Hugh fan for anything but he knew talent when he saw it. Neither Elite Four nor Championship matches were televised events, meaning that much of Hugh's prowess was either found in archived battles of his rookie years and the early beginning of his pro years or in rare exhibition battles.

"Hey, so I never bothered asking you guys before but…"

Lincoln felt the pull of his address shake him out of his reverie and to his mild surprise, Ronnie Anne was looking over her shoulder, frown ever-present. She continued where she left off once she saw that she had gotten both Lincoln and Clyde's attention.

"…what exactly do you bring to the table?"

"What'd you mean by that?" Clyde asked, though Lincoln could tell that he was trying his best not to make his question come off as confrontational, obviously out of fear of evoking her anger.

"What I mean is," she said, tendrils of irritation trickling out her tone from having to clarify, "how are you going to pull your weight on our little camping trip? I can't be the one doing _all_ the work, you know."

Lincoln bit back a harsh rebuke, knowing that Ronnie Anne's temper was something to be wary of. Still, it was pretty condescending to not only assume that her idea of "doing all the work" stemmed down to bossing them around but that she acted as if the worth of their association had nothing to do with looking out for each other but pulling rank.

He sighed, tempering his irritation with the thought that she'd hopefully learn better the more she got to know them, as well as the thought of wanting to find out what Ronnie Anne wanted with him; he wouldn't achieve that by ticking her off into a flustered, peeved mess.

"Clyde knows how to pick the best spots for us to camp," Lincoln said, beaming as he gave a quick glance to Clyde. "He's also pretty handy at finding supplies that we might need. He gets a lot of help from a handbook for outdoor survival but I trust his instincts."

Seemingly unimpressed, Ronnie Anne just nodded slightly and pointed at Lincoln.

"Okay, so how about you?"

"I fish for food," Lincoln said without embellishment.

Impressing Ronnie Anne, with exaggeration, wasn't at the top of his list of priorities.

Ronnie Anne quirked an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Lincoln shrunk a little under the dispassionate remark, though he smiled sheepishly to save face. "Uh…yeah. Heh, that's it."

Ronnie Anne scoffed before she turned back around. "So, we've got a fisherman and a boy scout, huh? Lovely."

Lincoln disguised his indignation under a self-deprecating chuckle but wasn't quick to forget that since she was "leading" them, it was her responsibility to know where she was going.

"So, if I may ask, where exactly do you intend on taking us?" Lincoln asked.

Without having to see her face, Lincoln could imagine the vexed expression she wore as she stated exasperatedly, "Um, to find a place to camp. Duh."

Lincoln sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And do you have any idea where that _place_ might be?"

He had a feeling that she didn't. She hadn't bothered using either of their maps _once_.

' _Some leader,_ ' Lincoln thought sarcastically.

"I'll know when I see it, dimwit," Ronnie Anne snapped. "Quit sassing me and just follow."

Lincoln did just that, at least for a few more seconds, anyway. Instead of dwelling on Ronnie Anne's rudeness, Lincoln opted to just get to the matter at hand, given how "that" was part of the reason why Lincoln hadn't snapped at Ronnie Anne, fear for his well-being be damned, for being so mean.

"Um, Ronnie Anne?"

" _What?"_ Lincoln flinched at her snappish retort.

"You said you wanted to follow us becau-"

" _Lead_ , Lameo-O. I'm _leading_ , not following."

"Right," Lincoln said, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, you said you wanted to _lead_ us because you wanted something from me. What exactly _is_ that something?"

When Ronnie Anne looked back to face them again, Lincoln gulped, feeling his heart drum against his ribcage. Even though her lips were fashioned in a smirk, one of the few "positive" gestures she had given him all day, it was _because_ it was an anomaly that made him nervous to begin with.

Her proceeding, enigmatic words offered his nerves no shelter, either.

"Just like our camping spot, you'll have to find out later."

* * *

 _Route 4. July 3rd, 2036. 3:18 PM._

The trio found themselves in a shallow valley, walking alongside a creek of little depth. Gentle grassy hills boxed them within the vicinity as they steadily marched along the gravelly shore. When Ronnie Anne, who was leading the pack, came to an abrupt stop, the two boys halted their paces. They were met with Ronnie Anne's proud smile, a grin that wasn't laced with any sarcasm or ill intent.

Lincoln thought it to be a nice little gesture; it was a shame that he knew that with his objections to her supposed "perfect camping spot", it'd flutter away as soon as it came.

"This is our camping spot?" Lincoln asked.

Right on her cue, Ronnie Anne frowned and folded her arms. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

 _A_ problem? Try _several_. Based on his experiences with camping out with not only Clyde, but his family, he knew this wasn't an ideal choice. Judging by the look on Clyde's face, Lincoln knew that he felt the same way.

He also knew that Clyde was going to have to assert himself _somewhat_ if Ronnie Anne was going to come around to respecting him. Yeah, she could be a little scary but that didn't mean he had to spare her feelings if she was steering them wrong.

Giving a few hard nudges to his ribs, he waited for him to turn around before gesturing over to Ronnie Anne with a nod. Clyde got the message but was clearly not up to doing what Lincoln asked. The silent game of stares, and the urging messages each gaze held, ended when a sharp cough from Ronnie Anne caused Clyde to jump up and squeak. It earned Ronnie Anne's full attention and with all eyes set on him, Clyde sighed, knowing that he had no choice but to tell the girl the truth.

"Ronnie Anne, not to question your leadership skills, which are top notch by the way," Clyde quickly added, amidst his twisting, queasy insides "but I don't think this is a good camping spot. We're out here in the open, meaning that we're more susceptible to thieves who might come and take all of our stuff in the middle of the night while we sleep."

Turning towards the small little creek, Clyde was entrapped in "Ranger Mode", his misgivings about Ronnie Anne's volatile temper thrown to the wayside as he lectured further.

"Second, this little creek won't be enough to sustain us for the rest of the day. Lincoln and I usually wash our clothes in bodies of water but we also have to keep in mind how Lincoln has to fish for our food." He gave the creek a sweeping glance before he shook his head. "And just like I suspected. This creek doesn't house any Pokémon for us to eat. And since the trip to Lumiose City is still days away, there are no eateries around here to hold us over. We could eat some of our non-perishables but I think conserving them is for the best."

While he prattled on, he continued to pay no heed to Ronnie Anne and her steadily rising annoyance, etched in plain sight by her trembling fists and snarl.

"Third, since we're not close to any forests, we're deprived of close access to natural resources like Berries. Fourth, since we-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!"

Immediately, Clyde zipped behind Lincoln, who gave his best friend a few reassuring pats on the shoulder while he cowered. Looking back at Ronnie Anne, he was taken aback not by her sudden outburst and the remnants of her indignation left on her face…

But of an artificial smile.

"Good job passing my test," she said.

"Test?" Lincoln asked dubiously.

"Yeah." She complimented her obvious lie with a nod. "I was just testing to see if you guys knew what you were doing."

She looked over to Clyde, who still wasn't assured of his well-being.

"And as a reward, I'll let you pick out our camping spots from now on."

' _Nice recovery,'_ Lincoln thought as considered where they were and what time it was. Taking out his Holo Caster, he stole a quick glance at the device and realized that it was nearly half an hour past three in the afternoon. With how long it had been since they or their Pokémon had eaten breakfast, that could only mean one thing.

"But all the same, Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said, "I think we should all just take a break here and have some lunch. Our Pokémon could use the break, too."

As if the idea of tending to their needs demanded a begrudging acceptance, Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, fine. Whatever."

* * *

 _Route 4. July 3rd, 2036. 3:53 PM._

This was definitely the life. A belly full of PB&J sandwiches, embracing the outdoor with a friend (and Ronnie Anne) and watching as his Fennekin splashed about in the creek just a few feet away from his perch on top of a large rock.

Clyde was off a meager distance away, training his Herdier in some Ranger emergency protocols while his Froakie hopped around somewhere, his location not in Lincoln's mind.

Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne had broken away from the group a few minutes ago, leaving for reasons that she seemed reluctant to expose right away, if her standoffish saunter and lack of communication was any reliable indication. The mystery of it all…despite his rocky relationship with Ronnie Anne thus far, she still intrigued him. He had no idea who her Pokémon were, why she had tagged along with them to begin with, or about that picture that Bobby tried to hand off to her before she left Santalune City.

Lincoln just shook his head, trying to get back to the present as best as he could. Even so, he couldn't help but have one last lingering thought before his attention drifted back to Fennekin's frolicking.

' _But what about you, Ronnie Anne? How am I supposed to count on you when you won't be honest with us? Just tell me what you want from me already, will ya?'_

With that, minutes came and went, most of them filled with Lincoln watching Froakie emerging from out of nowhere to mess around with Fennekin; popping out of the water to lightly spray her with water wasn't exactly the best way to engage in horseplay but given how Fennekin hadn't flipped out and stormed away in a huff, Lincoln was okay with letting it continue, though he'd be extra vigilant all the same.

For whatever reason, Froakie just _loved_ to pester Fennekin. The mischievous Pokémon showed his true colors a few days ago, shortly after Clyde retrieved him. They had both caught Froakie deliberately swiping kibble from Fennekin's bowl and teasingly gesture it towards his mouth like he was going to eat it, despite Fennekin's objections and indignant yelping.

And to make it even stranger, those kinds of hijinks and tomfoolery were oft-repeated with Fennekin and _only_ her. It made Lincoln consider the history that they might have had before he had chosen Fennekin for himself. After all, they had been raised in the same lab together.

Before he could unravel any possibilities, he felt a light jab against his shoulder, prodding him to turn around and see who or what had been trying to get his attention.

"Yo," Ronnie Anne greeted, her face neutral. "Get up and follow me."

"Where are w-"

"Just follow me," Ronnie Anne said and pointed at Fennekin. "And bring your Pokémon with you."

Lincoln couldn't stop himself from getting a little excited, the prospect of Ronnie Anne's undivulged plans prompting him to reflect on her vague purpose in her little trip with them in the first place.

' _Is this it?'_ Lincoln thought as he called out to Fennekin to come to him. _'Is she finally going to say what she wants to do with me?'_

Unclipping Fennekin's Pokéball, Lincoln returned the Fox Pokémon back in her trusty compartment before setting it back in place, grabbing his backpack, and following Ronnie Anne further along the shore. He followed in silence, knowing that asking her of her reasons would only cause her to grumble out a "Shut up" or a retort akin to that harshness.

After about a minute, she stopped, turning around and saying, "This is far enough."

Taking a moment to set his backpack off at his feet, Lincoln looked up and saw Ronnie Anne reaching down a hand into her pocket. His eyes widened when the object, a shrunken Pokéball, came to the surface, twiddling about in her fingers with expert precision.

"We're going to have a battle," Ronnie Anne said, steely locking eyes with her asserted opponent.

"A…battle?" Lincoln found himself asking despite how obvious her intentions were.

"Yes," Ronnie Anne replied, rolling her eyes. "A battle. You know what those are, don't you?"

Lincoln just dumbly nodded, retaining the composure that Ronnie Anne clearly lacked.

"Well, that's what we're gonna have." She pressed down on the button of the Pokéball, the object expanding in her palm. "Right now."

When Lincoln didn't immediately respond, instead nervously fidgeting in place.

"Something wrong?"

"Well…n-no," Lincoln stammered, rubbing his shoulder. "Not, uh, not r-really."

Ronnie Anne squinted. "Then why're you hesitating?"

Lincoln, tried as he might, couldn't get the words out the way he wanted; there was no way he could see his objection going over well, especially since he knew exactly why Ronnie Anne didn't take a shining to him in the first place.

Fortunately (or perhaps, _unfortunately_ ), Ronnie Anne pieced together his reservation without any problem.

"Oh, I see how it is," Ronnie Anne said, her words reverberating in a low growl that made Lincoln gulp. "You think that just because you got a fluke win against my brother, that gives you the right to underestimate me? I may not be as strong as him but I can still wipe the floor with a novice like you."

The pang of spite against his pride forced Lincoln to retort, pointedly, "And if you're so sure about that, why do you want to battle me so badly?"

Ronnie Anne retaliated with a leer. "Because once I beat you, I'm going to show you exactly how weak you are and we're going to work on fixing that. See, you've been allowed to have the Bug Badge by Bobby's generosity. I won't allow you to disgrace our Gym by battling like a chump."

Oh, so _that's_ how it was. Lincoln nearly facepalmed at how he hadn't seen this coming from the start. I all made sense. Of course, Ronnie Anne would want to ensure that her Gym's honor was preserved. Sure, it wasn't like it was her place to dictate how he battled but still, it was far better than any of the morbid fantasies that he conjured about regarding this exact situation.

"In other words," Ronnie Anne explained, "if you're gonna roam Kalos with our Badge, then you'd better be strong enough to prove that you deserve it."

"Strong enough to deserve it, huh?"

Both Ronnie Anne and Lincoln paused and looked at each other bewilderingly at the sudden intrusion. Neither of them had said that. It also didn't sound like Clyde, meaning that whoever had called out to them had been listening in on them, possibly for a considerable amount time. They turned around and spotted someone casually strolling towards them down the inclined slope, that carved into the hill that they stood a short distance away from.

He had a mop of red hair on his head, freckle-adorned cheeks, and to Lincoln's immediate uneasiness, a smirk that belied an air of suffocating arrogance. Lincoln discerned that his attire was just the right kind to have for traveling; a green hoodie, slack black jeans (that housed his hands in the pockets), and a pair of sturdy dark brown mountain boots.

What Lincoln found to be the most striking feature were his eyes, not because they lodged any immense gravitas that compelled his awe but that they pierced in his direction, not once leaving his. For whatever reason, Lincoln felt like it was a silent dare to back down, to look away as he steadily approached them.

If it was, he was proud himself for not backing down, even as he finally completed his journey and stood before the pair, gazing loftily at Lincoln with his challenging stare.

"Can I help you with something?" Ronnie Anne said, clearly vexed by the sudden intrusion.

"Yeah, you can help me by running that little bit of info by me again. You're telling me that this guy," the boy pointed at Lincoln, "has the Bug Badge?"

Lincoln took offense to how he seemed to be talked about, as if his actual presence didn't mean anything.

"Yeah, I do," Lincoln said, glancing back at the boy with a light scowl. "What's it to you?"

He had the gall to shrug and sneer. "Well, I don't believe you."

Lincoln balled his hands into fists. "And why is that?"

"Because seeing is believing."

Lincoln huffed. Was that all? Fine. If a little dose of reality was all it would take to wipe that infuriatingly, condescending smirk off his face, Lincoln had no problem delivering the goods.

Taking out his wallet, he plucked out the Bug Badge and held it up at what he felt to be a comfortable distance; not too far to think that it wasn't real but not close enough for him to nab from him.

"Well, here you go. And not only did I win this Badge but I did it with only one Pokémon," Lincoln said, adding the last bit just to further knock him down a peg.

That would show him…or maybe, it didn't. His face hardly shifted; his grin retracted a fraction but other than that, he didn't look any closer to apologizing for rudely questioning him.

"Well, would you look at that? Looks like I've spoken out of turn," the boy said, his haughty smile quickly grating on Lincoln's nerves. "So, now that I know you're the real deal, mind helping me out with something?"

"And what would that be?" Lincoln asked listlessly.

Whatever the favor was, he was pretty sure he was going to reject it once he heard it. That brand of entitled unpleasantness didn't deserve to be rewarded with help.

"I need a little warm-up match before I hit Santalune City. See, I'm challenging the Gym Leader and I want to make sure my Pokémon fight Trainers with at least a little bit of potential before the big showdown. So far, all I've beaten are chumps. But _you're_ different. The fact that you beat the Gym Leader means that you're at least halfway decent."

Before Lincoln could sarcastically thank the stranger for his pseudo-compliment, the boy took out one of his hands from his pockets and much like Ronnie Anne, revealed a Pokéball in his hand. Taking a few steps back, the boy tossed it to the ground, revealing the creature that the machine housed in a beam of red light.

The first thing that Lincoln noticed was that the Pokémon looked a little beat up. A few bruises patched over its skin and its breathing seemed labored. Other than that, it looked quite content with its shape.

"Chaaaaam!" the black and white creature cried, the outburst not muffled by the leaf it held in its mouth.

"This is Pancham," the boy said, pride note in his voice. "As you can see, he's pretty revved up for a battle. Since you claim to have beaten the Gym Leader with just one Pokémon, I wanna see what it's capable of. Think you can take him on?"

Lincoln gaped at him in bemusement. Behind him, Ronnie Anne matched his expression, though more subtly.

"Are you kidding me?" Lincoln asked, gesturing to the Pancham. "Your Pancham looks like he's seen better days. If you want to battle me, you could at least heal him first."

As much as showing up the cocky stranger delighted him, Lincoln wasn't about to go bully around a weakened Pokémon. After all, he had beaten two of Bobby's best with just one Pokémon and both of them were fresh. What exactly was this worn out Pancham supposed to do?

Waiting to the reality of is foolishness to make him wake up from his delusion, Lincoln was unsettled when the boy replied, his cockiness as blatant as ever, "Hey, you don't hear Pancham complaining, do you? Besides, I figured this handicap would make the playing field more even for you. You really oughta thank me."

Lincoln's lid top blew off at that. Heat bloomed his cheeks and he grit his teeth.

"What was that?!" he shouted, edging slightly closer to the boy.

Instead of backing down, however, Lincoln's temper was only fueled further when he threw up his hands in mocked surrender.

"Hey, hey, easy there, tough guy. Tell you what…"

Once more, he procured another object from this pocket. This time, it was a silver coin that he held between his forefinger and thumb.

"We'll make things more interesting. See, I've got _another_ Pokémon in my squad. Unlike Pancham, he's fresh, which means you'll _definitely_ lose if you battle him. I'll flip this coin. The Pokéball is heads and the star is tails. You land on heads, you fight Pancham. If it's tails, the mystery Pokémon's your opponent. Deal?"

"Fine," Lincoln said in deadpan, just wanting the stranger to just buzz off.

No matter what side of the coin it landed on, he would make quick work of the Pokémon, offer to heal it with some spare Potions, and tell the boy to go away. He was sure that Fennekin could pull off that much.

With a quick flick of the finger, the coin flipped in the air a few times before landing in the boy's palm. To ensure that he wasn't being cheated, Lincoln closed the distance between them and looked down at the coin.

He grimaced at the result. This was going to be way shorted than he thought and in the end, he'd feel really bad about taking out an injured Pokémon.

Much to his chagrin, however, the boy didn't seem concerned at all. Neither did the Pancham, who just stood by his Trainer, grinned, and pounded his fist into his open palm a few times.

"Well, well, well. Looks like it's your lucky day," the boy said, sliding his coin back into his pocket and turning around to walk away. "Try not to blow it."

Lincoln growled, picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulders. He saw the stranger pointing further off into the distance, down the trail of the shore that he and Ronnie Anne had _just_ left from.

"We'll be battling over there. Come on," he said and brushed past the both of them, his Pancham following along.

Before he could give chase, he suddenly realized that Ronnie Anne, the girl who had just challenged him, had been with him the entire time.

Surely, he thought, she had to be a little bit disappointed (but mostly miffed) that the newcomer had swooped in and barged in on her little evaluation. Still, if he knew Ronnie Anne as well as he had (which admittedly, wasn't saying much), if she wanted something, she'd outright stake her claim to it, regardless of what anyone wanted.

Did that mean that she was okay with this? Before Lincoln could be comfortable doing anything, he had to know for sure.

"You sure about this, Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked. "I thought you wanted to battle me."

Ronnie Anne dismissed his concerns with a hand wave. "Whatever. Just take care of him and then we'll do it later. Besides, either way, I get to see what you're _really_ made of."

With that, Ronnie Anne strode towards the boy's direction, leaving Lincoln a few seconds of solitude to reflect on what had happened before he soon trailed behind her.

* * *

 _Route 4. July 3rd, 2036. 3:59 PM._

"Mind if you man the Pokédex for me while I battle?" Lincoln had asked Clyde once he, Ronnie Anne, and some kid he didn't know approached their little "campsite".

Once Lincoln gave him the gist of what was going on, Clyde obliged to do just that, scanning the boy's Pancham from afar as it stood close by its Trainer while they stood about a battlefield's length away from Lincoln and Fennekin. Beside him stood Ronnie Anne, who watched as intently as Clyde was at Lincoln's Pokédex.

' _I think that's a Pancham,'_ Clyde thought, recognizing the species as he booted up the Pokédex to scan.

" _ **Pancham, the Playful Pokémon. Its glare is not sufficient enough in intimidating adversaries. The calling card of this Fighting-type species is the leaf that it chews on constantly.**_

 _ **This Pancham is a Male."**_

' _Yep, definitely a Pancham. And judging by its type, neither Fennekin nor Pancham have the type advantage. This'll ultimately be a battle of skill.'_

Clyde frowned once he gave the Pancham another look. _'Still, that Pancham looks kinda ragged. What's that guy thinking? Why would he send a Pokémon out in that condition?'_

With Pancham's entry registered, Clyde shuffled it into his pocket and called out to both Trainers.

"Alright, since this is a Pokémon battle, I think it's fair that we have an official. I'll be stepping in as one. Any problems with that?"

"Whatever floats your boat, four-eyes," the boy replied snarkily, stealing a quick glance over at him before he looked back at Lincoln. "Just make sure your buddy over here doesn't start making a scene after he loses."

* * *

Lincoln's face was taut, his muscles locked in a teeth-baring scowl. _'I've had it with this jerk! Time to knock him down a few pegs!'_

"Fennekin, you ready to do this?" Lincoln asked, looking back and forth between the boy and the Pancham.

"Fennekiiiiiiiiin!" Fennekin howled, battle-ready and determined.

Their unity did nothing to deter the stranger from his vain streak.

"Pssh, that's the Pokémon that swept Santalune City's Gym?" he asked, looking down at Fennekin and flashing a wider, derisive grin. "I was expecting something a little bit…I dunno, cooler."

Fennekin growled at the ridicule while Lincoln retorted with a smirk that matched the boy's. "I hope you saved a lot of room because I'm gonna make you eat all of your words."

"Heh. We'll see about that."

Oh, he'd see alright. He'd see that Fennekin was nothing to sneeze at and that this boy had better learn how to appreciate the taste of humble pie; he's be eating a truckload of it after Fennekin was done. His misgivings about battling a weary Pokémon were no longer in play, the prospect of victory the only thing he cared about

"Attention!" Clyde called out, drawing attention from everyone involved. "This one-on-one Pokémon battle between Lincoln Loud of Vaniville Town and…and…"

Clyde glanced at the boy. "Uh, who are you exactly?"

"Chandler," the boy replied.

"Of?" Clyde asked, wanting to get the full address of both Trainers, even if the battle wasn't necessarily official.

"Of none of your business," Chandler retorted, his smirk forming into a frown.

The 180° shift of emotion didn't last long enough for Clyde to be stunned for too long.

"A-anyways, this one-on-one Pokémon battle will end when one Pokémon is unable to continue battling. Do both of these Trainers understand this rule?"

Lincoln nodded. "I understand."

"Got it," Chandler said, his cocky grin blooming back to life. "Let's just on with it, will ya?"

"Then, let the battle between Fennekin and Pancham…" Clyde snickered, knowing that the dramatic pause was unnecessary but just wanted to roll with it anyways. "BEGIN!"

At the call of the "official", both Lincoln and Fennekin tensed up…

Unlike Chandler and Pancham, who just stood there as lax and comfortable as before. Lincoln felt his blood boiling under his skin; apparently, Chandler didn't even think that he was worth getting ready for. He wasn't a prideful boy but that didn't mean that his apathy didn't sting.

"You can start off if you want," Chandler said. "Pancham and I don't care. Do we?"

"Panchaaaaaaam!" Pancham roared, beating his chest as if its wounds didn't faze him.

' _Fine!'_ Lincoln thought. _'If that's the way you want it, that's what you're going to get!'_

"Fennekin, Flame Charge!" Lincoln called.

Hopping a few paces ahead of Lincoln, Fennekin quickly enveloped in her bright-red flames and charged towards Pancham, never once tearing her steely gaze away from her opponent. Pebbles of gravel and clouds of dust kicked up behind her as the comet of speed and power rushed forward.

* * *

Ronnie Anne gripped the sides of her head, her eyes widened in alarm.

' _What is that moron thinking?! You don't just rush a Pokémon headfirst towards a Fighting-type like Pancham! You're playing right into his hands by getting up close and in his element!'_

She knew Lincoln had his work cut out for him but she didn't think he'd be _this_ hopeless. Even in Pancham's less than 100% state, she had her doubts of Fennekin's success; blindly charging towards a Fighting-type Pokémon, a type that excelled in close quarter combat, was just the same as gift wrapping a victory away, especially as a first move after no prior scouting.

* * *

Lincoln half-expected Chandler to call out to Pancham to roll out of the way, something he doubted he could pull off with his injuries.

"Pancham, hold your ground!" Chandler shouted.

Lincoln reeled back. That _certainly_ wasn't what he had predicted. "What?!"

Lincoln's attention was stemmed in focus, looking on as Pancham squatted and held his arms out with his hands spread out. Realizing what he was aiming to do, Lincoln decided to simply wait it out and watch Pancham fail. Hold back a Flame Charge? Pah! As if that stood a chance at work-

 _*BAM!*_

Lincoln's mouth hung open in shock, seeing but refusing to believe what he was witnessing. Fennekin had made direct combat with Pancham but instead of barreling through his defenses, Pancham was actually gripping Fennekin's head in his grasp, skidding along the gravel as she pushed him back. The momentum of the Flame Charge was clearly fading as Fennekin's fiery assault lost its flare and Pancham was skidding closer and closer to completely stopping altogether.

"Now, go for Circle Throw!" Chandler ordered.

Squeezing its grip against Fennekin, Pancham quickly fell on his back, jutted its feet square into Fennekin's belly, and sent it flying into the air from the catapulting vault of his legs.

"Kiiiiiiiin!" Fennekin cried out as she flailed about helplessly.

In blind panic, Lincoln shouted, "Fennekin, hurry and recover!"

Though she heard him loud and clear, Fennekin could do no more than wait until gravity pulled down before she felt she could do anything. Twisting her body in midair, Fennekin adjusted herself right-side up before she glided roughly across the gravel. Her paws grinded painfully into the pebbly surface of the ground before she finally came to a halt.

She managed to break free of her grimace to flash a smile, looking back at Lincoln. Lincoln, proud of Fennekin's recovery, did the same.

* * *

Back at the sidelines, Ronnie Anne wasn't any closer to being relieved at what Fennekin (but moreso Lincoln) had failed to do.

' _Why didn't he attack Pancham in mid-air with its Fire-type moves?!'_

Feeling displeasure overtake her distress, she scowled at Lincoln and the confident smile that he dared to wear.

' _That idiot keeps depriving Fennekin's long range advantage. First, he tries to get up in a Fighting-type's face and then he can't even bother to make Pancham go on the defensive when he had the perfect chance.'_

* * *

"Ember!"

Fennekin opened her mouth, swirling flames of orange fire centering around the center in a ball. She shot the hot blast forward with a yell of her name, sparks and tendrils of blaze trailing behind the scorching bullet as it whizzed towards Pancham.

"Dodge it, Pancham!"

With grace that belied his injuries, Pancham watched and waited for the Ember to draw closer to its vicinity until it cartwheeled out of the way, just in time for the fiery projectile to sail past him, finally dissipating in the atmosphere behind him.

"Move in!"

Yelling out something akin to a war cry, Pancham rushed in, stomping towards Fennekin with speed that Lincoln was having trouble accepting. It was only until Pancham had covered about half the distance, between him and Fennekin, that Lincoln got out of his shock in time to make his next move.

"Flame Charge!"

Once more, Fennekin obeyed, outlining her body in another shield of bright-red, zooming towards Pancham. Neither Pokémon seemed eager to back down; Pancham's self-assured smirk was as vibrant as ever and Fennekin's face was tightened in a grit-fueled scowl.

"Roll out of the way!" Chandler commanded.

Before the inevitable collision could happen, Pancham somersaulted towards his left, just in time for Fennekin to blitz past him. Aghast by the surprising display of agility, it took Lincoln a few seconds to remember that Fennekin was still moving and therefore vulnerable now that there was no longer a target to hit.

"Stop, Fennekin!"

Once more, Fennekin was forced to dig her feet down into the hard, stony gravel as she skidded closer and closer to a complete stop. That didn't stop Chandler from making moves of his own.

"Pancham, Work Up!"

"Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan…" Pancham's face lost its haughtiness for a look of concentration as he stood still, drawing out a light dusting of red aura around its body. Veins protruded from his tense, stiff muscles as the aura slowly became brighter and brighter. Then, once the color reached its full radiance, it almost cloaked the Pokémon from full view. "CHAM!"

With that, the aura dispersed, leaving Pancham practically the way it was before. By now, Fennekin had succeeded in making a complete stop and Pancham's Work Up, a move that Lincoln knew increased the Attack power behind a Pokémon's moves, inspired him to do that same.

"Fennekin, Howl!"

Fennekin drew her head back, looked at the sky, and let forth a sharp howl.

"Ember!"

With a bellow of her name, Fennekin fired yet another Ember, this one considerably bigger and brighter than its last pre-Howl Ember. Lincoln figured that Chandler would have Pancham just dodge it again but he was sure, _absolutely_ sure, that Pancham was beginning to tire out way past its limits. His speed and tenacity had taken him for surprise but every Pokémon, especially and already beaten down one, had to have a breaking point.

"Block it!" Chandler ordered.

Though Pancham's face showed a little bit of exertion, a testament to its injuries coming into play, he crossed his arms in front of his face, just as the Ember collided into his body. A sparse cloud of gray smoke bloomed from the contact but even with the obstruction, thus a lack of knowledge as to what had happened, Lincoln looked on in stupefaction, befuddled that Chandler would have his Pokémon endure such a blow on purpose.

The expression of stupefaction compounded under the revelation of what the dispersing smoke revealed; Pancham was only slightly harmed by the attack, its arms somewhat singed by the blow. He hadn't even budged from his spot. He unfolded his arms, revealing his signature smirk.

"Don't tell me that was supposed to hurt!" Chandler taunted, prompting Pancham to beckon Fennekin over with a "come hither" motion of his hand.

Peeved by the provocation and his own inability to make as much as a dent on Pancham, Lincoln blindly shouted, no real plan considered, "Flame Charge!"

Sore paws and all, Fennekin plowed through the pain as she charged at Pancham once more with a Flame Charge, the fiery shrouding stronger than normal thanks to Howl. She hadn't even made a few paces forward before Chandler enacted his next move.

"Playtime's over, Pancham! Let's go with a Comet Punch, left jab!"

Balling up his left hand into a fist, Pancham began to pivot his arm back and forth with blinding speed, kicking up tiny clouds of gravel and dust as his arm only got that much faster.

Lincoln scoffed, knowing that Chandler was trying to make Fennekin run head first into a punching fury and must've gotten too cocky to assume that Fennekin couldn't just get out of the way.

"Fennekin, pivot to the left!" Lincoln shouted once Fennekin covered more ground.

Once Fennekin closed in on Pancham, about a foot away from his rapid fire left punch, Fennekin strained her body to skid towards her left, effectively evading the left punch before she could get hit by it. It was a close call; Pancham's knuckles brushed her nose but otherwise, didn't make contact.

"Comet Punch, right jab!" Chandler countered.

Immediately, Pancham switched up its offense, emitting the same speed in its other fist…right in front of Fennekin's face.

"Dodge!" Lincoln shouted under the pressure of Chandler's clever feint.

The order proved futile as Pancham closed in and barraged Fennekin in the face with a flurry of punches. The last one knocked Fennekin back a foot away, her body dragging against the gravely field before she stopped.

"Rush in, Pancham!"

Pancham wasted little time in covering ground, charging at Fennekin while she struggled to get on her feet. Visibly strained and weary, Fennekin wobbled on weak legs, straining to support her as she stood back up, as she watched her opponent come at her. She didn't dare do anything else, believing that Lincoln would see her through the battle.

Her instincts proved to be trustworthy as she sprang into action with Lincoln's next move.

"Fennekin, quick, Fire Spin!"

With a loud bellow, a plume of spiraling red and orange flames burst from her mouth, enveloping Pancham in a column of fire before he could get any closer.

"Oh no?!" Chandler cried, panic striking the boy for the first time since the battle began.

Lincoln watched gleefully as the imprisoned Pancham tried covering himself up but to no avail; he was trapped and forced to endure the flames while Lincoln thought of his next move. This was the first time he had successfully used Fire Spin its traditional sense, the last time being to propel Fennekin high into the air to strike Bobby's Vivillon.

' _There's no way he's gonna last much longer,'_ Lincoln thought as he looked on at Pancham struggling to retain composure in the vortex of fire. _'It's time I put an end to this.'_

"Flame Charge!"

Before the Fire Spin's flames had a chance to recede, Fennekin rushed at Pancham once more with another Flame Charge. Pancham didn't have the wherewithal to at least try and brace himself before Fennekin barreled through the Fire Spin and collided into him, sending the Playful Pokémon towards the creek.

"Yes!" Lincoln shouted in a mixture of relief and jubilation.

That was _way_ too close for comfort. If that Pancham was actually healthy, perhaps, it would've been much more of a challenge. He'd have to admit, begrudgingly, that Fennekin might have actually lost if that were the case.

But now, as Pancham laid face-first in the shallow water, there was no question that this battle was finished. Fennekin, exhausted, panting, and covered in a few bruises along her face and abdomen, mustered the gumption to look over her shoulder and give her Trainer a triumphant grin.

* * *

Though pleased with Fennekin's success, Clyde still couldn't help but be more annoyed with Chandler's arrogance than anything else. Thanks to him, Pancham didn't really have a fighting chance to begin with. There was no way that he could really call this a victory.

' _Looks like Pancham can't battle anymore. Can't say I'm surprised. He was way too weak to be a good enough challenge. That's what cockiness gets you. Time to call the…'_

His train of thought was derailed when the battlefield spawned an unexpected turn of events.

' _Huh?!'_

* * *

Much like Clyde, the expressions of everyone present, minus Chandler, were stricken with astonishment.

Pancham, as battered and beaten as he was, _wasn't_ knocked out. Instead, he staggered slowly but surely to his feet, grunting in exertion as his body wobbled to and fro. Like Pancham, Chandler was no longer smiling.

"Not bad. You're the first one to really knock down my Pancham for a loop. That takes some talent, I suppose." Lincoln was too aghast to retort at the glib admiration, his mouth agape and quivering. "But now I think we're just about done here. It's time we finish you off for good."

Panic gripped Lincoln's nerves, rendering him unable to do much of anything except stand in stunned silence as he regarded Pancham's resilience like it was some practical joke. His senses sparked back to life as Chandler's formed into another smarmy, belittling smirk, inwardly bristling in determination to finish the battle once in for all and show Chandler what for.

"Fennekin, Flame Charge!" Lincoln shouted, deciding that with the last Flame Charge's success, Fennekin's increased speed would make dodging impossible, especially since Pancham's labored stance indicated that he was on his last legs.

The distance was closed in record time, Fennekin fast approaching Pancham like the speedy, flamed bullet of power that she was.

"Arm Thrust!" Chandler ordered, unfazed by the incoming attack.

Quivering from pain and fatigue, Pancham held out its arms in front of his body as his hands glowed white. It didn't take long for Fennekin to be right in front of Pancham but before she could gain another inch, Pancham began showering open palm strikes with about as much speed as his Comet Punch, each one striking true and breaking Fennekin out of her flaming cloak as she ate blow after blow. Thanks to Work Up, each strike did more damage than it normally would've.

Too dumbfounded to do anything else, Lincoln just stood by as Fennekin was pelted with painful blow after painful blow.

"Quick, follow up and use Circle Throw!"

After Fennekin recoiled from the last stinging blow, she was too disoriented to do much of anything as Pancham grabbed her and flung her into the air with another one of its Circle Throws. On her way down, Chandler ordered, "Finish 'em off with Comet Punch, both hands!"

Waiting for Fennekin to fall into optimal striking distance, Pancham howled his name and delivered another high-speed barrage of punches that struck Fennekin rapidly, throttling her every which way as Pancham's bombardment afflicted her every which way. With one last right hook, Fennekin was skipped across the creek, skidding through the water and closer to the sidelines where Clyde and Ronnie Anne watched from afar.

Finally, she came to a grinding halt at Clyde's feet, its swirling black eyes and bruise-splotched body indicating that she had effectively lost. The sight made Clyde speechless for a few seconds, unable to gather enough composure to retain the impartiality that an official was required to have.

"Fennekin is…is…" He swallowed a hard lump in his throat and grimaced. "…unable to continue. Um…Chandler wins."

He looked up and saw Pancham, on one knee, panting yet grinning snobbishly at his handiwork.

"Return," Chandler said casually as he pulled out Pancham's Pokéball and extracted a red beam of light that sucked the victorious Pokémon in its place.

He directed his gaze over at Lincoln, who was too shell-shocked to muster up any other action than just staring blankly at Fennekin's unconscious body.

"Well, well, well," he said, his sneer as big as ever. "Look at what we have here; a mopey loser that realizes what happens when he gets himself in a battle with a _real_ Trainer. And if you've already beaten the Santalune City Gym, I guess that their Leader's an even bigger pushover than you."

He chortled loudly, moving out of his position in their makeshift battlefield to be on his way. He offered a seething Ronnie Anne, a worried Clyde, and a heartbroken Lincoln one last farewell, saying, "Anyways, thanks for the workout, Larry. I gotta go. Gyms to beat, Conferences to win. You know how it is."

With that, Chandler departed, leaving Lincoln to try to come to terms with what had just happened. He hardly acknowledged whomever it was that was coming his way but once he saw that it was Clyde, holding Fennekin in his arms, he lethargically gave them a passing glance before he looked down at the ground.

"You okay, man?" Clyde asked as he closed in on him.

All Lincoln could do was shake his head.

"Look, I'm sorry you got beat like that," Clyde said sympathetically, "but we should get going. If we're not going back to a Pokémon Center, we'll have to set up camp and get Fennekin some treatment with our Potions. She needs our help."

The thought of tending to Fennekin, evoked a small but attentive reply.

"Okay."

* * *

 _The search for a camping spot took longer than expected but by nightfall, the three kids found themselves settled in a small pocket of the surrounding dense forest, precisely with the natural accommodations that Clyde had discussed earlier. Presently, Lincoln watches over Fennekin, as the wounded Pokémon tries to recover from her wounds…_

* * *

 _Route 4. July 3rd, 2036. 8:15 PM._

It had nearly been two hours and Lincoln still hadn't left his tent. Even as the Moon and stars hovered through the black expanse of the sky, he was nowhere close to being ready to go to bad; he hadn't even swapped out of his regular clothes for his pajamas, no matter how sticky his skin felt against the humid night air. Watching over Fennekin was his only concern, so much so that he had skipped out on fishing entirely and Clyde had no choice but to prepare some instant ramen that they had packed, instead of supplementing one of Lincoln's catches with some broth or soup or whatever.

Fennekin, bandaged but sleeping as restfully as her hurt body could allow, snored lightly as Lincoln felt his eyes begin to sting. He rubbed at his watering eyes and clamped down a pitiful whimper from escaping.

' _Stop it.'_

Try as he might, his pride was unable to prevent the crushing weight of failure to bend him under the memory of Fennekin's total loss. Not only had Fennekin been beaten but a tired, wounded Pokémon had done the job. Whoever that Chandler guy was was good, _very_ good.

But a less flattering, yet in Lincoln's mind, more telling alternative reared its ugly head; what if Chandler wasn't good but it was just that _he_ was bad? Had it been about a month ago, Lincoln wouldn't have regarded that opinion as an insult; he was and still was a rookie Trainer after all. But a month ago, he hadn't beaten one of the Gym Leaders, a feat that should've ensured him that he was well on his way to accomplishing his goal.

But a certain ill-tempered, abrasive girl's words of denial and belittlement sprang forth, dominating his focus.

Maybe…maybe Ronnie Anne was right all along. Maybe it _was_ just a fluke. Maybe he _had_ gotten lucky after all. But unlike the first time he regarded that possibility, shortly after beating Bobby, he felt more inclined to believe that Ronnie Anne, as spiteful as she was, was telling the truth all along.

Casting one last glance down at Fennekin, Lincoln shuffled out of his tent, feeling his breath sapped slightly by the dense, humid air of the night. He knew what he had to do now, even if it meant he'd earn himself a black eye.

Lincoln reconsidered his chances and cringed as the angry scowl of Ronnie Anne flashed before his eyes. Scratch that, "if" probably wasn't in the books. Ronnie Anne, who hadn't said a word to him since Chandler had departed, was livid and Lincoln didn't need to consult a certain child professor to know why.

Besides the brief flash of amazement, that Ronnie Anne wore after seeing Lincoln's briefcase in action for the first time, she was a rigid statue of unmoving ire and as Lincoln walked around their campfire, slowly but surely approaching her corner of the campsite, while she cocooned herself inside of her sleeping bag (the only form of protection she apparently needed), the danger of the situation _really_ dawned on him as he finally stood before her, trying to find the right words to say to start off his apology.

Mercifully, she wasn't facing him to cast a fiery gaze but from his angle, Lincoln could tell that with her open eyes, she was awake and fully aware of his presence.

"Ronnie Anne?"

Stony silence greeted his opening. Lincoln grimaced from her deliberate disregard.

"I'm…I'm sorry I let you down." His eyes cast down on the grass beneath his shoes. "I promise, I tried really hard to beat Chandler and I-"

"So what?" The tone, dead and lacking any passion, hurt more than any spirited response ever could've done. "You lost, fair and square, and all you did was prove me right. You're no Trainer; you're just a lucky kid that got away from what should've been a completely one-sided battle in my brother's favor. I may hate that Chandler jerk for trash talking Bobby but I hate you even more for not defending his honor."

More tears, unshed from the allowance of his slipping resolve, seeped from his ducts.

"And I'm supposed to feel sorry for you because you come around here, hanging your head and wallowing in self-pity? What gives you the right to act like you lost something that you shouldn't have, as if you ever had the skill to be anything more than a glorified training dummy?"

"You're beyond pathetic," Ronnie Anne continued. "Just crawl back in your tent and leave me alone. I don't have time for charity cases, especially those who talk big, can't back it up, and then walk around like entitled brats that cry because they don't get what they want."

But he didn't move, at least not in the way _she_ wanted. His leg shook, his throat pulsed achingly, and his lips quivered, quickly becoming pasted by the tears that escaped and trickled down his face. He was locked in his shame, far longer than Ronnie Anne's patience warranted.

Suddenly, she sprang to her feet, causing Lincoln to reel back at both her battle-ready stance and at her glower. "Are you deaf _and_ stupid?! Buzz off!"

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln did just that, scurrying back and leaving Ronnie Anne behind to stew in her anger. Re-entering the tent did nothing to soothe Lincoln's angst; after all, Fennekin was the gravest reminder of his failure yet and as he laid down beside her, gently stroking her head, it was only a matter of time before he let his emotion loose and let his crying wails mingle with the call of the nocturnal Pokémon that hovered over their heads.

* * *

 _For the first time ever, Lincoln Loud knows what being defeated truly feels like. Now, not only is he_ _reeling from the sting of a Pokémon battle loss but from the harsh words of Ronnie Anne. Will his_ _morale recover and will Fennekin's full recovery go off without a hitch? Only time, and_ _ **PokéLoud**_ _ **Journeys'**_ _next chapter, can tell._

* * *

 **A/N:** So again, sorry about the long wait. Juggling other stories and trying to come up with new ideas for this fanfiction took more time away from this than I thought.

But, like I promised, I'm going to give you guys a little taste of what I'm planning on doing with this story. As of now, I plan on dividing this story into three acts. Obviously, we're in Act 1 and as for the number of chapters I've conjured up for this act to have?

Fifty-four.

Now, clearly that can all change as I progress but that's the plan for right now; fifty-four chapters for Act 1. I don't know how many will consume the other acts, since I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but this is what I'm aiming for right now. Hope that gives you something to look forward to.


	11. A Blast From the Past

**A/N:** I've been looking at the reviews lately and well…let's just say that a certain "sect" of requestors are going to find this chapter to their liking. At least, I _hope_ they do. Lucky for them, too, since this chapter was the next one to write on my schedule.

Now, let's get going with _"Chapter 11: A Blast from the Past"_.

* * *

 _Previously, on_ _ **PokéLoud Journeys**_ _…_

 _Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne treaded the long path of Route 4, aiming to reach Lumiose City in a matter of days. Once the trio took a break, Ronnie Anne pulled Lincoln off to the side and finally revealed her intentions to him; to school him in a Pokémon battle and correct his weaknesses as a Trainer. Before the battle could commence, however, a young boy, a fellow Pokémon Trainer named Chandler, interjected, having overheard Ronnie Anne and Lincoln's conversation and most importantly, how Lincoln had won the coveted Bug Badge a few days prior. Wanting to battle a Trainer worthy of his time, the arrogant Chandler challenged Lincoln to a one-on-one battle between one of his Pokémon and the Pokémon that Lincoln had used to single-handedly defeat Bobby's team. Determined to prove himself and shut Chandler's mouth for good, Lincoln accepted his terms and thanks to a game of chance, Fennekin's adversary wound up being a bruised but battle-ready Pancham._

 _The ensuing battle came as a surprise to Lincoln, who expected Fennekin to bulldoze over the Playful Pokémon with ease. Pancham proved to be more than able to hold his own; countering, dodging, and even blocking the heaviest-hitting moves of Fennekin's arsenal while dishing out his own brand of punishment that left the Fox Pokémon dazed. Before Pancham could finish Fennekin off, Lincoln's quick thinking and Fennekin's power ensnared Pancham in the fiery vortex of Fire Spin, followed up by a mighty Flame Charge that brought the spirited Pancham down…_

 _At least, for a moment. Shock and dread overcame Lincoln as Pancham slowly but surely rose to his feet, shrugging off the pain to continue the battle. With that, it was curtains for Fennekin as Pancham countered another Flame Charge with an Arm Thrust attack, followed up by a Circle Throw, and then, a flurry of Comet Punches that knocked Fennekin out for good._

 _Lincoln, anguished from the defeat, was inconsolable for the rest of the day, tending to Fennekin's wounds while wallowing in self-pity. Knowing that his failure disappointed Ronnie Anne, he attempted to try and reconcile with her but she had none of it. Rebuking Lincoln for being a weak Trainer and for failing to defend the Santalune City Gym's honor, Lincoln was left even more desolate than ever before. It's anyone's guess as to how, or even if, Lincoln will get over his melancholy…_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11:** A Blast from the Past

* * *

 _Route 4. July 5th, 2036. 11:21 AM._

"Thanks for finally agreeing to go fishing, Lincoln. Sandwiches, chips, and instant ramen are fine and all but nothing beats a hearty meal of some fish!"

Their packed, hastily-made provisions were all that Lincoln, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne were inclined to eat without Lincoln's will to fish. Up until now, the boy was far too focused on playing the role of Fennekin's nurse than fishing.

Oh, and feeling sorry for himself certainly didn't coax his actions any further from moping around inside of his tent all day long. Besides walking further along Route 4 to set up camp, treading through the forest, side-by-side with Clyde and with his fishing pole and backpack on standby, was about as much activity as Lincoln would even entertain in engaging in.

Accompanying the two boys was Froakie, who sat upon Clyde's right shoulder dutifully. Ordinarily, either Fennekin or Herdier would be the designated fishing Pokémon but this time around, Clyde wanted Froakie to have a crack at helping with the fishing for a change. Though the Bubble Frog Pokémon was reluctant to leave the campsite, on account of wanting to stay behind and observe Fennekin while she healed, he obeyed Clyde, nonetheless.

When Clyde's chipper declaration drew nothing more than a weary sigh from Lincoln, he asked, "Everything alright, buddy?"

"Kinda," Lincoln said, ducking under a tree branch while maneuvering his shoulder-slung fishing pole through the weave of foliage. "I'm glad Fennekin's feeling better. I just think she needs one more day of rest before she can get back on her feet."

Clyde gave his friend a look of skepticism. "I dunno, Lincoln. She looked fine enough to me yesterday."

With yet another sigh from Lincoln, there was another chance for Clyde to assume to worse. This wasn't the first time Lincoln felt sorry for himself and it wasn't hard to see why he was so down in the dumps this time around. He had been awake that night, the night where Ronnie Anne chewed Lincoln out for being a weak Trainer. On top of that, he had never remembered Lincoln looking more miserable than when he had to change Fennekin out of her old bandages for new ones; every wrap must've felt like a stab to the gut, a painful reminder of where Lincoln's inability to win had landed for both of them.

He wasn't even in "Trainer mood" anymore; he was adorned in his classic orange T-shirt/blue jeans combo, no hat, no tracksuit, and no Pokéball belt at all.

But even so, there was only so much that Clyde could stand if it meant that Lincoln was thinking of heading down a path of no return. He just had to know he wasn't _that_ invested in his misery to do the unthinkable, to do the unforgivable.

"I hope you're not thinking of quitting on the Lumiose Conference just because you lost one battle," Clyde said, frowning sternly. "I know it's rough on you and Fennekin but you can't let one slip up mess you up."

His face brightened when Lincoln flinched back in indignation. Good. At least that meant he had _some_ semblance of pride left.

"No way," Lincoln said. "After everything that's happened, I _can't_ give up. Even if I didn't include Fennekin in the equation, my family and the Professor either want me to succeed as far as I can as a Trainer, depend on me not quitting, or both."

The embers of determination fizzled out as quickly as they came and Lincoln drooped, his steps becoming heavy enough to draw him back a pace behind Clyde, who watched him concernedly.

"I just don't know _how_ to continue, Clyde. You've been helping me train for around a month now and it helped me beat Bobby. Now, that's not enough to beat someone with a tired Pokémon? I just…" He cast his vision towards his feet as they shuffled across the brittle twigs that snapped underneath his shoes. "Is this all I have? Was Ronnie Anne right? Am I really just a kid who got lucky?"

Clyde gave a little jab to Lincoln shoulder to get him to look at him. An earnest smile rewarded his venturing eyes.

"Well, now that she's completely out of earshot, I can give you my honest opinion without fear of getting punched." Just to be sure, he gave his surroundings a quick 360°. "Absolutely not. Look, I get why she's mad at you but you can't let her psyche you out. She doesn't have a clue about how awesome you are. When you battled Bobby, she may have seen a fluke but from where I was standing, I saw a future Kalos League Champion."

Though it was but a flicker of a smile, that bloomed on Lincoln's face, Clyde still appreciated it.

"Thanks, Clyde," Lincoln said. But then, his mood immediately sunk lower as his thoughts drifted to an unpleasant realization. "Though, I still don't have any idea about what I'm supposed to do for Fennekin's training. She'll be ready to go as soon as tomorrow and I've got nothing to go on. What moves do I teach her? What strategies should I use? Heck, I'd just like to know where things went wrong with Chandler. If only Ronnie Anne wasn't mad at me. She sounded like she was ready to give me a few pointers the other day. That could've really helped."

Before Clyde could reassure Lincoln of his abilities, Lincoln added, his face etched with a puzzled expression, "Speaking of Ronnie Anne, why's she _still_ hanging around with us? I figured she'd just pack her stuff and leave by now."

"Beats me," Clyde said, shrugging the shoulder that Froakie wasn't perched on. "But, I bet if you catch something really good for her, you can use _that_ as a form of apology."

Humoring the suggestion in frivolity, Lincoln turned to Froakie. "What'd you think, Froakie?"

"Kie," Froakied replied, shaking his head.

Despite the bad place his answer put him in, Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at Froakie's bluntness. "Yeah, you're probably right."

The walk through the forest ensued with silence after that. Thankfully, the closest suitable fishing lake wasn't too far away. In about a few minutes, they'd be there; a huge, crystal-blue lake that sat at the base of a large mountain. Their current campsite was close enough to a river to be suitable as a means for fresh water and for clothes cleaning but since no Pokémon resided in it, the lake was the next-closest spot.

But, just before Lincoln, Clyde, and Froakie could pass through a waist-high thicket of bushes, a curious noise halted their steps; a distant cry that resembled desperation.

"Did you hear something?" Clyde asked.

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah."

Once more, the cry echoed through the expanse, stirring a smidge of uneasiness within them. Whatever it was, it was just beyond those bushes.

"There it is again," Clyde said, speaking lower.

"It sounds like a Pokémon." Lincoln paused, contemplating the reason behind the wail. "Crying out for…help?"

"Yeah, I think you're right, Lincoln. I think we should check it out. Agreed?"

As if Lincoln needed to be reminded of the agonizing howl, it sounded off again. His baser instincts told him to either flee or walk around the source of the noise but with Clyde's suggestion, a call to action, in play, how could he refuse? Besides, there couldn't be any real harm of simply seeing what it was for themselves, right?

"Yeah."

As quietly and cautiously as possible, the boys slipped through the bushes ahead of them, taking breaks to gingerly untether themselves and Lincoln's fishing pole from any branches that snagged onto their clothes. The trek proved to be difficult, especially for Clyde, who had to hold onto Froakie close to his chest to ensure that he wouldn't get poked at by the bushy appendages but in the end, the friends found themselves peering through the bushes from the other side, looking on at the origin of the unsettling disturbance.

Just a few feet away was indeed, a Pokémon. The quadrupedal Pokémon, like Lincoln and Clyde, was in the bushes. However, _unlike_ Lincoln and Clyde, it was an unwilling, distressed captive in the thick of the green, it's left horn snagged. Despite its best efforts, grunting, tugging, and bleating with the best of them, it remained ensnared.

"I think that's a Skiddo," Clyde whispered to Lincoln. "You got your Pokédex with you, right?"

Nodding, Lincoln shimmied awkwardly through the bush twigs to reach back, unzip his backpack, and retrieve his Pokédex. Switching it on, Lincoln made sure to turn the volume completely down before he scanned, not wanting the voice to spook the Skiddo into more of a frenzy than it already was. Instead of hearing the computerized voice, Lincoln and Clyde just looked at the screen for the abridged version of the Pokédex entry that they'd normally be hearing:

" _ **Skiddo, the Mount Pokémon. This species is known for its mild temperament and for the widespread opinion of it being one of the first Pokémon to interact with humans. It creates its own sustenance under the exposure of water and sunlight.**_

 _ **This Skiddo is a Male."**_

"It looks like he's caught in that bush," Lincoln whispered, shifting the Pokédex into his pocket. "And look at his leg, Clyde."

Clyde followed where Lincoln was pointing, the Skiddo's left hind leg. A dried-up trail of blood was encrusted in the appendage, emblazened from the meat of the thigh down to the knee. It was clear to the both of them; this Skiddo was injured, an impairment that only made its attempts at freedom even more futile than they first thought.

"Yeah, no wonder he can't get out," Clyde replied just as quietly. "He must be trying to call for help."

"Well, we're here now," Lincoln said. "What should we do? Should I try and go free him?"

"No, not yet." Clyde turned to Lincoln with a hardened look. " _From Recruit to Ranger_ says that if you want to help a wild, injured Pokémon, you should never do it straight away. You have to take in the situation, consider all of your options, and carefully analyze the-"

Before Clyde could get a word out, Froakie wiggled free from Clyde and leaped out the bush, hopping towards the Skiddo.

"Froakie!" Clyde whisper-shouted, frantically waving for him to return but not avail.

Instead of heeding Clyde's caution, it appeared that Froakie was compelled to talk things out with the Skiddo instead. Hopping up to him, Froakie waved and croaked a few times to get his attention. Stunned, Lincoln and Clyde watched as Froakie conversed with the Mount Pokémon, a smattering of "Kie's", "Fro's", and "Froakie's" that neither of the boys could quite understand. By the end of his monologue, Froakie had pointed to where Lincoln and Clyde were hiding. He then turned his attention to his Trainer.

"Kie!" Froakie chirped and waved over to where he was standing.

"Er, thanks, Froakie," Lincoln said, perturbed that the Skiddo had them in their sights now. He looked to He cast a glance to Clyde and asked, "What'd you think he said to him?"

Clyde rubbed his chin in scruntiny for a few seconds before a thought came to him.

"I think he just wanted him to know that we're here to help," Clyde said. "Lincoln, you didn't happen to pack any Potions with you, did you?"

"I think I've got three of 'em," Lincoln said, recalling the medication that he tucked away in his backpack in case of an emergency.

"Okay, just give me a second to look over Skiddo's Pokédex entry."

Handing the device off to Clyde, he allowed him to read whatever information the Pokédex would bequeath to him. Besides the information that the Pokédex said or displayed at a first scan, there was all sorts of data; height, weight, diet, abilities, moves, and other miscellaneous facts. Apparently, Clyde's harrumph indicated that he hadn't found anything useful to aid them.

"Nothing vital," Clyde said, giving the Pokédex back to Lincoln. "Let's just try to calmly approach him and spray him with some Potion, okay?"

Nodding, Lincoln slowly began to move out the bush, approaching with attentiveness to any signs of possible aggression from the Skiddo. Clyde followed him out, retrieving a Potion from Lincoln's backpack while Lincoln set his fishing rod down. Tiptoeing as carefully as possible, Lincoln and Clyde did their best not to frighten the poor creature, both for their sakes and for the Skiddo's.

"Relax. We're here to help you," Lincoln whispered.

"Just take it easy, friend," Clyde murmured.

Lincoln didn't know how Clyde was handling the matter but as for him, he didn't once try to break away from Skiddo's soft, anxious eyes. However he could, he wanted him to know that he wasn't here to cause harm.

Finally, the boys were in front of their soon-to-be patient, ready to get to work. While Lincoln knelt on the ground, looking up directly into Skiddo's eyes, Clyde cautiously bent down to tend to the injured leg, the Potion in his hands and ready to spray.

"It's okay," Lincoln whispered again, watching in his peripheral vision as Clyde pulled down on the nozzle, releasing a burst of clouded medication onto the wound where the blood began.

The stinging sensation made the Skiddo jump, thrashing about wildly.

"Skiiiiiid!" the Mount Pokémon cried.

"Woah!" Lincoln shouted as he scooted back a good two feet away.

"So much for mild temperaments!" Clyde exclaimed, quickly pulling out Froakie's Pokéball from his pocket and returning him back inside before the Skiddo could accidentally kick him.

The sting must've abated to be enough to handle as the Skiddo, still anxious but no longer in utter panic, panted and wobbled as he tried to catch his breath.

Knowing that they were at an impasse, Lincoln was spurred into action as he repossessed his Pokédex, switched it on, and shifted though the blocks of data that came up from Skiddo's entry.

' _There's gotta be something here that…'_ Lincoln's frown broke into a smile when he spotted a certain line that he traced over with his finger. _'That's it!'_

Quickly springing into action, Lincoln hurried over to the Skiddo, not wasting time to reassure his friend of his safety after he shouted, "Lincoln, hold on!"

Before the Skiddo could have time to react, Lincoln tenderly gripped its horns with both hands. Like the Pokédex alluded to, immediately, the horns began to glow a light green in a flash.

And just like that, the Skiddo was mollified, no longer having his face etched in anxiety but rather, in as much contentment as his current predicament could allow. Lincoln giggled as the Skiddo nuzzled its face into his belly, bleating his name with cheerfulness in his voice.

"See, Skiddo? We're not trying to hurt you," Lincoln said. "The Potion just stings a bit but you'll be feeling better before you know it."

Clyde, who had no earthly idea, was spellbound by the spectacle. Though, he wasn't in awe enough to not have questions of his own.

"What just happened?"

Lincoln chuckled. "Apparently, Skiddo can read the feelings of anyone who grabs its horns. He probably calmed down because he knows I'm not trying to harm him." He smirked playfully at Clyde as he raised an eyebrow. "I guess you missed that part when you looked over the Pokédex entry."

Clyde grinned sheepishly and blushed. "I guess even Rangers-in-training can overlook important details."

* * *

With the Skiddo calmed, Lincoln and Clyde were able to tend to the wound far better than before. Even though the Skiddo fidgeted from the sting that the Potion gave him, thanks to Lincoln's horn grabbing, Skiddo was reassured that the boys were only here to help him. They even had the forethought to use their water-filled canteen and clean the blood off, making his leg look almost as good as new.

"There we go," Clyde said as he inspected the leg once more. "It's not the perfect patch-up job but I think he should be able to move on his own."

"Great," Lincoln said as he went to pick up his fishing pole. "Now, let's move on to our fishing spot."

"Sounds like a…" Clyde stopped as he observed a sight that made him laugh. "Hey, Lincoln? Look behind you."

Bent down, Lincoln looked over his shoulder and sure enough, there was the Skiddo, looking back at him with a smile on his face.

"Skid!" the Skiddo bleated.

Though Lincoln could tell the Skiddo was clearly happy with himself, he couldn't help but ask, "Something wrong, Skiddo?"

"I don't think anything's wrong, Lincoln" Clyde said, highly amused. "I just think that he wants to follow you."

Lincoln turned around to get a better look, wanting to make sure that Skiddo was truly feeling what Clyde had suggested. A span of ten seconds passed before Lincoln spoke up.

"Is that right, Skiddo? You wanna follow me?"

"Skiiiiiiiid!"

Out of all the things that Lincoln thought the Skiddo would want to do, this wasn't one of them. He figured the Skiddo, now a free Pokémon once more, would simply return to wherever it was he came from.

But, if Skiddo simply wanted to follow them (well, _him_ more specifically), he supposed there couldn't be any real harm. Of course, he'd have to protect from any possible threats that they could fish up but he was sure that Froakie could handle the job just fine.

"I guess it's not a problem," Lincoln told the Skiddo, who let out another elated bleat while the boy picked up his fishing rod. He gave his attention back to Clyde. "Hey, Clyde, once we're done fishing, we should probably look over Skiddo to make sure he's completely healed. In the meantime, he can get food with all the sunlight and the water from the lake we're going to."

Clyde gave the plan a thumbs-up and with that, there was only one thing left to do.

"Then let's get fishing!" Lincoln cried as he and Clyde, along with the Skiddo, ventured further into the forest towards the lake.

Had they stuck around any further to mind their surroundings better, they would've noticed a certain pony-tailed girl, watching from a close but hidden distance behind a large tree.

"Hmph. Not like I care what he does," she said with a huff, as if she needed to validate her snooping to anyone in particular.

* * *

 _And so, two boys, a Froakie, and their newest tagalong fished the morning and early afternoon away, hauling in a bountiful catch of three red-striped Basculin (though Lincoln was somewhat disappointed that his more preferred variant wasn't reeled in instead)._

 _But while the friends bond by the lake, an impatient…"officer" awaits the arrival of his superior. Though, he'd prefer it if he not be reminded of such a humiliating fact…_

* * *

 _?. July 5th, 2036. 1:00 PM._

' _Where is the damn fool?! He holds such a lucrative position and yet he can't even pretend to act as if it matters!'_

It just wasn't fair. He was better than this. This was grunt's work, labor for a meager foot solider with no prestige to his name.

' _I'm Leon, the Advisor, second-in-command for our glorious boss, not some babysitter! Why must I be the one to constantly reel him in whenever he decides to wander off?'_

He really, really didn't need this today. Or _any_ day, really. Stationed inside the underground watchtower while his own personal team of spies and informants, his resources, were wasted on that…that…pompous upstart!

The man ran a white-gloved hand through his scruffy black hair, angrily tussling the strands. His only solace in this humiliating job was that this time, he knew _he_ screwed up. There was no way that the boss was going to tolerate this level of insubordination. Ever since his unworthy promotion, he had foolishly decided to test his boundaries, taking "little trips" out of the base to mix and mingle with the outside world haplessly, a venture that he knew would tick the boss off.

Oh, and Leon. Especially Leon, since he had to waste away in this chamber, the beeping of computers, the cold stainless white floor, and the binocular visual of the immediate surroundings of the base, displayed on a large screen in front of where he was sitting, to supplement the search for "his majesty", a fitting name since as far as Leon could remember, he had always been a royal pain in the ass.

But, not even personal indignation could temper Leon's anger more than an even more unfortunate consequence of this brazen behavior.

' _At this rate, our entire operation will crumble, all because he has to stretch his legs. Antonio is far too generous with him.'_

He, of course, never said as much to his face. Even though as the Advisor, he had to give his best intentions to his superior, questioning a decision as far as his personal selection of his replacement was sure to land him in hot water.

But how long could he be silent? How long could he endure the anxiety of not knowing whether or not he would doom them all?

Another tussle of hair and another heavy groan accompanied the mechanical stirring around him. With nothing left to do but sit back and wait for an agent to report back to him.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back at their campsite, Lincoln is bustling about, making sure that Skiddo is taken care of. After a belly full of fish, the boy is pumped full of the energy needed to restore his newest tagalong. Fennekin, however, didn't get the memo…_

* * *

 _Route 4. July 5th, 2036. 1:39 PM._

"Kin?"

"Fenne?"

"Kiiiiiiin?"

Those were but a few of the questions that a tent-ridden Fennekin was able to ask Lincoln as he shuffled in and out the tent, retrieving medical supplies for reasons that he had yet to explain to her. She had no idea what was going on or why her Trainer seemed to be so preoccupied. All she knew was that one moment, she heard her Trainer and that other boy returning and the next, here he was, not seeming to give her any mind at all. Honestly, it didn't sit right with her at all. Sure, she was essentially at 100% now but did that mean that she had to be ignored like this?

Once more, Lincoln returned inside, going off to the corner to grab himself a new gauze wrap. Fortunately, Skiddo didn't need that much attention but that didn't mean that he was going to get the bare minimum treatment he deserved. Before he could leave, he felt something tug at his pants leg.

Without having to turn around and see what it was, Lincoln said, "Sorry, Fennekin, just give me a second, okay? I have to take care of Skiddo."

Fennekin titled her head at the name. Skiddo? Just what the heck was a Skiddo and what did _that_ have to do with her getting ignored? Well, her Trainer was going to learn that she wasn't the kind of Pokémon to get brushed away! She'd show this Skiddo who was boss as soon as she…she…got finished munching on this twig that her gracious, wonderful, attentive Trainer just laid at her feet!

"Have a twig," Lincoln said after offering his gift, smiling at the way Fennekin wolfed down her treat.

Then, Lincoln was back on Clyde's side of the campsite, right where his friend and Skiddo were. Instead of tending to Skiddo's leg, Clyde was busy reading over Skiddo's Pokédex entry again. He only looked up once he saw Lincoln approaching from the corner of his eye.

Perfect. Now was the time to tell Lincoln what he had discovered about Skiddo and why it was so weird that they had just so happened to have found him.

"Say, Lincoln?" Clyde asked as Lincoln walked over to Skiddo to tape up his leg.

"Yeah, Clyde?" Lincoln replied, finishing up on the dressage.

"I think it's a little odd that Skiddo was left where we found him."

Lincoln snapped off the dressing when it was sufficiently tightened. "What'd you mean by that?" Lincoln asked, giving Skiddo a quick pet on the head.

"Well, Skiddo's usually live by the mountains. It's what it said in your Pokédex. I think the only reason he came down here was because he wanted some water from the lake. But why would Skiddo be on the other side of the lake, where we were coming from through the forest, rather than on the side of the lake closest to the mountains where he probably lives?"

Lincoln had to admit, that _was_ rather strange.

"You know, that's actually a good point, Clyde." All he had to give was a loose, vague possibility that wasn't founded off of much guesswork. "Maybe he wandered off?"

"That's as good as a guess as any, I'd say," Clyde said as he gave Lincoln his Pokédex back.

While Lincoln put it back in his pocket, he addressed the Mount Pokémon.

"There you go, Skiddo? How's that feel?" Lincoln asked, giving his leg a little tap.

Getting what Lincoln was asking for, Skiddo gave that leg a few tentative kicks. Then, when that proved to be a painless effort, he braved a few stomps, grinding his hoof into the ground. Upon realizing that he felt completely fine, Skiddo leapt a few inches off the ground, happily bleating and giving Lincoln and Clyde the warm and fuzzies that only a pair of helpers could give.

Why, nothing could ruin this moment; Lincoln, Clyde, and Skiddo, all enjoying themselves under the golden Sun's ray and basking in the discovery of a successful healing. What could go wrong? Would possibly interfere with such a-

"Um, guys?!"

The shout spurred their attention in an instant, looking on as Ronnie Anne sprang out from behind the trees surrounding the clearing they were in, running towards them with a look that neither boy had seen on her face before; sheer panic.

Once Ronnie Anne closed the gap between them, pausing to gasp for air as she bent over to take in some air, Lincoln was more confused than perturbed at Ronnie Anne's behavior.

"Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked. "Where've you been all day? We haven't seen a trace of you since this morning."

Instead of a pleasant reply, he was yanked close to her by the collar, throttled around a little as she yelled in his face.

"Forget about that, stupid! We've got company!"

Pointing towards where she had just appeared from, she stopped shaking Lincoln in time for him to hear the sound of what he could only describe as a…mini stampede. His eyes widened when the encircling foliage shook before at last, four grassy blurs shot out. His eyes adjusted to the blurs when they all suddenly stopped in their tracks, about teen feet away from the trio and Skiddo.

Lincoln and Clyde took a few steps back, on guard from the intrusion that had just become clear. Four Pokémon, imposing in stature and disposition, glared at them; the one in the very front was the biggest and its curled horns, in Lincoln's opinion, the sturdiest and strongest out of the bunch. Though the boys had never seen them up close, they knew _this_ Pokémon when they saw it.

"What are all these Gogoats doing here?" Clyde asked in a hushed voice.

"And why do they look like they wanna pummel us?" Lincoln supplemented in the same volume.

"Because they do!" Ronnie Anne snapped, pointing at Skiddo as he cowered behind Lincoln. "It's the Skiddo! They want him back!"

Lincoln gasped, having the daunting realization of this situation dawn on him all at once. The Skiddo, that he and Clyde had rescued, belonged with _them_. They must've tried looking for him after he had wandered off. Upon wandering through the forest on the other side of the lake, the Skiddo must've hurt himself navigating through the unfamiliar terrain and things only got worse when he got himself caught by the horn.

And now, these Gogoats thought that they had taken him. Not good; if they wanted to escape with their lives, they had to find a way out of this misunderstanding.

"You should've let him alone instead of letting him follow you back to the campsite," Ronnie Anne said, glaring at Lincoln disapprovingly.

Lincoln gave her an inquiring look in return. How did _she_ know what he and Clyde were doing?

But as matters couldn't get any more convoluted, Lincoln heard the steady footsteps of a certain Pokémon coming up from behind him. He looked back and realized that it was indeed his Fennekin, rushing out to help her Trainer and friend-in-need.

"Fennekin, stay put!" Lincoln shouted, holding out a hand to stop her in her tracks.

He did not need Fennekin getting involved. Even at 100%, it was still four Gogoats against her. Even with Clyde's help, he didn't like the odds currently stacked against them.

Reluctantly, Fennekin halted but still looked on anxiously.

But before he could think of anything to go off of, Ronnie Anne suddenly stepped in front of the boys, reaching down in her pants pocket.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice." She pulled out not one but two Pokéballs, clearly with her own Pokémon inside of them. "Stand back. I got this."

Lincoln panicked, reaching out to grab onto Ronnie Anne's shoulder before she could throw them.

"Don't!"

Ronnie Anne spluttered before anger incised her features. "What'd you mean 'don't'?! If we don't defend ourselves, they'll cream us!"

"They just want Skiddo back! They don't deserve to get hurt for that!"

Expecting another rebuttal, Lincoln was taken aback as after fifteen seconds of waiting for her next move, she relented and put the Pokéballs away.

Thankfully, in that time, the racing against the clock stirred an idea, a plan that he had no clue would work but it sounded way better than starting a fight.

"Let me handle this," Lincoln said as he walked cautiously forward, ignoring Skiddo's worried bleating, each one sounding like a plea for Lincoln to come to his senses and come back.

He drowned it out. He _had_ to. He couldn't let the pleading coax him to reconsider, to shift loyalties to his own safety. He couldn't show an ounce of fear on his face, even as the Gogoat stared him down, looking like they wanted to tear into him as he took bold step after bold step forward. His pulse heightened as he allowed himself to swallow the lump in his throat.

' _Just a little further.'_

Thankfully, the other three were further away, with only their leader in the forefront of the formation. That suited Lincoln just find since it was the leader he needed approval from anyway.

And if _that_ worked out for Skiddo, it surely had to work out for the Gogoat, right?

To his surprise, once he finally approached the Gogoat, the only sign of resistance it showed was the way it slightly bent its head down, looking like he was ready to charge point-blank. Now, practically face-to-face, Lincoln gulped as he reached out and grabbed the Gogoat's horns.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the horns glowed, much in the same way that the Skiddo's did. Once the color faded, he let go and waited for the Gogoat's response. At once, it turned its head towards the pack and bleated at them a few times, the last outcry softening their stances into a mellow, relaxed pose. With that, it turned its attention back to Lincoln, a smile spread across his face.

' _Man, and I thought that would've turned out way worse,'_ Lincoln thought as he turned back towards his friends (well, friend and Ronnie Anne).

"Looks like we've reached an understanding," Lincoln said, flashing Clyde and Ronnie Anne a grin.

"And right in the nick of time, I'd say. Nice job, Lincoln," Clyde said in commemoration to his friend's bravery.

"Sure. Whatever," Ronnie Anne said, rolling her eyes.

Lincoln didn't have a chance to soak it all in, though, as out of what seemed to be the spur of the moment, Skiddo bounded towards him, his bandaged leg not hindering his paces.

"Huh?" Lincoln muttered as the Skiddo began circling around him, taking errant pauses to nuzzle his face into his belly.

Lincoln giggled from the ticklish contact but just like that, it all ended once Skiddo broke away to stand before the Gogoat. Once again, Lincoln was left in the dark of a Pokémon conversation as Skiddo bleated syllables of enthusiasm. Once he was finished, the leader Gogoat slowly walked up to him and once he was before the Mount Pokémon, gave it a few nudges towards Lincoln's direction.

The gesture only made Skiddo all the giddier and Lincoln all the more knowing to what was happening. He was much better at non-verbal communication of Pokémon and if the Gogoat and Skiddo were doing what he thought they were doing…

"Skiddo? Does this mean what I think it means?" Lincoln asked.

"Skiddo! Skiddo!"

Well, that was a "yes" if he ever heard one. Knowing exactly what he wanted to do, Lincoln called to Clyde, "Hey, Clyde! Get my Pokéball belt, would ya?!"

"On it!" Clyde said and hurried over to Lincoln's tent to retrieve it. While Clyde did that, Lincoln looked back at the Skiddo, who was still as happy as ever. Even though Lincoln was positive that he knew what this all meant, he just had to know if Skiddo was truly going to be happy with what he had chosen for his life.

"You sure you want to come along with me, Skiddo?" Lincoln asked, somberness overtaking the joy that once filled his voice.

Even now, he still felt a little inadequate as a Trainer. He didn't know what to do with Fennekin's training and if Skiddo was going to be a partner-in-crime along with them, he'd have to teach him how to battle and from the ground up, at that.

But even so, he had an inkling that if he got around to finding the answer, he most certainly found a treasure in Skiddo.

"Well, if you're gonna be anything like your parents, then I'm sure you'll grow up to be pretty strong," Lincoln said, looking back up at the Gogoat, just in time to watch time go back the way they came.

As soon as the last one left, Clyde returned with what Lincoln had asked for. Once he got the belt, Lincoln plucked off one of the five empty Pokéballs that remained on its hook, expanded it with the push of a button and lightly tapped it against Skiddo's head, capturing the Pokémon into the capsule through a read beam of light. Lincoln allowed the Pokéball to drop to the ground, knowing what came next; waiting for the shaking Pokéball to stop as it glowed and whirred on the ground.

Even with a willing Pokémon, it was still a tense situation for a Trainer that had never caught a Pokémon before. But, just as Lincoln was beginning to question if Skiddo had truly wanted for this to come to pass, the Pokéball stilled and dinged, signifying its capture.

Lincoln beamed, elated at his success. "You know, I didn't quite expect for my first capture to be like this."

As he picked up the Pokéball off the ground, he was just about to head back to his tent when he noticed Ronnie Anne walking past him, presumably to go back to where it was she was hiding out all this time.

"Wait, Ronnie Anne." The words slipped out before he could catch himself, his true desires winning over his trepidation.

By the grace of good fortune, she stopped, actually _halted_ to consider the request of the boy she dubbed "Lame-O" and a pathetic Trainer. Lincoln, not wanting to squander his chance at appealing to the girl with unwarranted brazenness, didn't bother to walk around to look her in the eye.

"Look, I know you're still mad at me for letting you down. And…I'm sorry. I'm sorry I disappointed you. You're right; I've got so much to learn that it's not even funny. I don't have a clue about how I should train my Pokémon and I could really, _really_ use your help."

In the midst of his groveling, Lincoln dropped to his knees, kowtowing with every shred of humbleness that had woven into him ever since Chandler's victory.

"Please, Ronnie Anne. I know that if you just give me a chance to prove myself, I can show you that I'm worth your time. I'll listen to whatever you have to say without question. Please, please, _please_ take me under your wing."

Lincoln could do nothing know but wait, wait as each second of agonizing silence crawled by and taunted the boy for the blooming realization that Ronnie Anne just didn't have her heart into hearing him out, much less wasting her time on someone that she didn't even think had any potential.

But then, as if the darkness of his inner thoughts spurred out from his mind, a shadow loomed over him…a Ronnie Anne-shaped shadow.

Lincoln hastily looked up, finding the girl to staring down at him with her rams crossed and an eyebrow quirked.

"Good grief. You don't have to make it sound like a marriage proposal, you know," Ronnie Anne said.

Sighing, as if she had been strong-armed into a deal that she just had to accept, Ronnie Anne said, "Look, if you're gonna keep twisting my arm like that, then I guess have no choice but to train you." Astonishment and relief took over Lincoln as if to further lift his spirits, Ronnie Anne curled a tiny smile at him, not a sarcastic little smirk but an actual smile. "Besides, now that you've got two Pokémon, I can't just leave them in your inexperienced hands, can I?"

"Yes!" Lincoln shouted, compelled by instinct to outstretch his arms and lean towards Ronnie Anne for a hug.

Before he could dare cross a centimeter, her fist quickly came into play, halting its trajectory to his face by stopping it just short of his nose.

"Rule #1 of Ronnie Anne's Bootcamp: You hug me, I slug you. Got it?"

Lincoln nodded frightfully. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

 _?. July 6th, 2036. 12: 57 AM._

At last, at long goddamn last, the Holo Caster rang, stirring Leon from the nap he had fallen into about three hours ago. He slurred as he tried to gain his bearings, blindly reach into his pocket for the noisy machine.

' _This had better be good,'_ Leon thought as he noticed the caller ID, hoping that the caller was here to inform him of something useful

Pressing the call button, Leon held up the Holo Caster to his ear, not up to talking back to a Holo Graphic projection.

"Agent #215, I had better be receiving some good news," Leon said, punctuating with a surly growl. "I'd like to think I deserve some of that today."

" _Most definitely, sir. I've just received contact from Julien, sir."_

"Good. And what does our friend have to say for himself?"

" _Um…"_ Leon frowned at the hesitant pause, _"w-well…you see, sir…"_

The deliberation, along with the frustration of having to stay cooped up in the room for over half a day, caused the Advisor to snap.

"Out with it, #215! Or do you wish to have me suggest to Antonio that you return to your busboy duties?!"

"No, no, no, sir! Anything but that, sir! I-I like my new position as one of your personal agents, sir!"

"Then what did he have to say to you?"

"He, uh, wanted me to send you a message, sir."

"A message? For me?" Leon leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. "And he didn't have the courtesy to reach me himself?"

Not expecting a reply from that rhetorical question, he continued. "Typical. Fine, fine, what did he have to tell me?"

He could hear #215 mumbling something akin to, "Don't shoot the messenger" before he started. "He wanted me to let you know that, and I quote, 'Tell dat boot licker I ain't got time to hear his bitchin'. It'll take me out of the mood for da underground Houndour fightin' tournament that I'll just so happen to be swingin' by at tonight. I'll be back whenever I feel like it and if he's got a problem with it, let 'em know I ran out of damns ta give a long ti-'"

 _*thwack*_

The Holo Caster clanked against the floor, cracking the screen and immediately shutting off the device before another word could be uttered. Leon, in a fit of rage, had chucked it hard.

"Underground Houndour fighting?! Again?! He'll pay for this! If Antonio doesn't do anything to stop him, then I don't care if I'm overstepping my duties as his Advisor; his little pet project will answer to me!"

By the end of his rant, the Advisor was a seething wreck of unbridled ire, heaving deep breaths to calm himself but finding little success. But now, instead of quelling his rage, he nurtured his hatred with a fantasy that fostered wicked delight.

"Just you wait, Julien," Leon said, a cackle bubbling through. "You keep testing our boss' faith in you with these ridiculous gambles."

Looking down at his Holo Caster, he picked up the chipped, fractured weight, running his thumb across the back…

…and along the giant blue "R" that engraved the surface.

"It'll be your downfall and at long last, Team Rocket's future will be ensured and Kalos will be ours!"

* * *

 _The underbelly of Kalos is far more sordid than anyone could've ever guessed! What lies in store for the region now that Team Rocket is under its nose? And how will the dissension between Julien and Leon play out? **PokéLoud Journeys'** oncoming chapters will tell all!_

* * *

 **A/N:** Yessir, we have Team Rocket in this story. I didn't know whether to create my own team or bring back an old favorite but in the end, Rocket was the way to go for me. Hope that doesn't disappoint any of you. If it does, oh well. You've come this far already. Why stop now? ;)


End file.
